WALES

Departmental Energy

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the estimated  (a) amount and  (b) cost was of energy used in his Department in each year since 1997; what proportion of the energy used was generated from renewable sources in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office holds records on energy usage since 2006-07; on the cost of electricity from 2002-03; and on the cost of other fuels since 2005-06. The available information is given in the following tables. Figures before these periods are not held centrally and can be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Energy used 
			   Electricity (kwh)  Other fuels (kw) 
			 2006-07 65,233 105,430 
			 2007-08 69,780 58,980 
			 2008-09 68,291 74,080 
		
	
	
		
			  Estimated cost 
			   Electricity (£)  Other fuels (£) 
			 2002-03 14,440.37 - 
			 2003-04 9,180.72 - 
			 2004-05 4,368.05 - 
			 2005-06 4,132.43 8,505.35 
			 2006-07 8,054.06 15,586.45 
			 2007-08 4,007.14 13,746.23 
			 2008-09 7,415.72 8,531.26 
		
	
	In 2003-04 and 2004-05, 10 per cent. of the Department's electricity was derived from renewable sources. Since 2005-06 this has risen to 100 per cent.

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what proportion of staff in his Department are disabled; and what the average salary in his Department is of  (a) full-time disabled staff,  (b) full-time non-disabled staff,  (c) part-time disabled staff and  (d) part-time non-disabled staff.

Wayne David: The Wales Office is a small Department and in the interests of maintaining confidentiality we are unable to disclose the figures requested.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since 2005.

Ann McKechin: Since 2005 there have been no redesigns of the Scotland Office website.

Departmental Theft

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many thefts from his Department have been recorded in the last two years.

Ann McKechin: No thefts have been reported or recorded in the last two years.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Departmental Energy

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what steps the House of Commons Commission plans to take to enable the House to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Nick Harvey: The Commission has decided that the House will participate in campaigns only in exceptional circumstances and there are therefore no plans for the House to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010. The event is understood to be taking place at 8.30 pm on a Saturday evening, so the potential for significant reductions in the House's emissions during the event will be very limited. An action plan and targets for reducing the House's carbon dioxide( )emissions are currently being drawn up.

Members: E-mail

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission with reference to the answer of 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1211W, and pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2010,  Official Report, column 434W, on Members: email, whether Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption is now compatible with Parliament's current version of VPN (remote access) software; what methods of email encryption are compatible with the PICT IT system; whether  (a) S/MIME and  (b) Steganos can be used on hon. Members' computers; and whether hon. Members and their staff can choose to install PGP encryption software on their computers without PICT exercising its right to remove it.

Nick Harvey: The House of Commons Commission does not release information relating to software configuration. For more information regarding Members' rights to install software on parliamentary computers I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him on 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1211W.
	Members and their staff may install their own software on their parliamentary computers. Members are responsible for the licensing and maintenance of any software that they install and, as the conditions of supply provide, PICT reserves the right to remove any software that is found to interfere with the proper operation of the hardware concerned, or the parliamentary network.

Members: Expenses

Dai Davies: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what plans the House of Commons Commission has for the office space presently occupied by staff of the Department of Resources dealing with allowances of hon. Members following the transfer of such functions to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Nick Harvey: The staff who will transfer to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority currently occupy space on the third floor of 7 Millbank. The whole of the third floor will be freed up later in the year when other staff in the Department of Resources move to accommodation in Tothill Street. This will begin a series of moves which will involve moving Department of Information Services staff from 1 Derby Gate into 7 Millbank, and will culminate in the conversion of 1 Derby Gate into accommodation for use by Members and their staff.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Leader of the House how many designs for its website her Office has commissioned since 2005.

Barbara Keeley: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 25 January 2010,  Official Report, column 534W, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps). In addition to that reply, no designs for the Leader of the House of Commons website have been commissioned since 2007.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since 2005.

Paul Goggins: During this period, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) website was redesigned in 2007.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Drugs

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to end the illegal drugs trade in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: UK support is focused on building Afghan counter-narcotics law enforcement capacity, strengthening Afghan institutions, and providing alternative livelihoods for farmers. We are seeing progress. The number of narco barons being arrested and convicted, often by Afghan institutions mentored by UK experts, is increasing, This year, in Helmand, Governor Mangal has overseen the distribution of wheat seed to over 40,000 households in the 'Food Zone' and is overseeing the distribution of seed for summer crops to 27,000 households.
	There have been dramatic falls in opium cultivation in Afghanistan in recent years-19 per cent. in 2008 and a further 22 per cent. in 2009. Although we cannot be complacent, we believe farmers are at least in part responding to improvements in governance and security.
	The UK remains committed to the fight against the Afghan drugs trade, as a key component of our Afghan counter-insurgency and state-building effort. The drugs trade creates and funds the corruption which undermines the legitimacy of the Afghan state and provides a critical source of revenue for the Taleban.

Africa: Politics and Government

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the political situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa.

Ivan Lewis: Levels of conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have dropped since late 2008, and improved relations between the DRC and Rwandan Governments have contributed to a stabilisation of the regional situation. However, violence, human rights abuses and displacement remain prevalent in eastern DRC in particular. The Government continue to work closely with the governments in the region, as well as the UN and partners in the international community, to address these challenges.

British Nationality: Convictions

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions his Department has made representations to a foreign government on behalf of a UK citizen convicted of crimes involving  (a) drugs,  (b) sexual offences,  (c) violence and  (d) computers in each of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: We will consider making representations to the local authorities, with the permission of the individual concerned, in any case where a British national detainee has not been treated in line with internationally-accepted standards. This may include cases where the trial does not follow internationally-recognised standards, or where there is a justified complaint about mistreatment or discrimination. We will make representations irrespective of the nature of the charges: our aim is to treat everyone in detention the same, no matter what they are being held for. However, we do not keep records in a way which can be readily searched to extract an overall figure for representations made on behalf of British nationals convicted of crimes overseas.

Colombia: Political Prisoners

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2010,  Official Report, column 416W, on Colombia: political prisoners, if he will make representations to the Government of Colombia on the fate of human rights defender Carmelo Agamez Berrio.

Chris Bryant: I have asked our embassy in Bogota to raise Carmelo Agamez Berrio's case with the Colombian Vice President's Office.

Commonwealth: Diplomatic Service

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) Canadians,  (b) Australians,  (c) New Zealanders and  (d) Indians used UK consular facilities in absence of representation of their country in  (a) each of the last three years and  (b) 2010 to date.

Chris Bryant: From April 2008 we do not have figures available for third country nationals assisted by our missions overseas. Prior to this, our overseas posts were asked to provide, as part of an annual survey, the number of assistance cases handled, including how many cases involved unrepresented commonwealth nationals. These figures were not broken down by nationality. The figures for financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			  2006-07  
			 Total assistance cases 34,874 
			 of which:  
			 unrepresented Commonwealth nationals 200 
			  2007-08  
			 Total assistance cases 25,092 
			 of which:  
			 unrepresented Commonwealth Nationals 155

Departmental Energy

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has arranged to switch off the lights in its UK offices, and has encouraged its overseas network to follow suit, subject to local operational concerns.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since 2005.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has commissioned two designs for its departmental website since 2005. The design was changed in March 2008 and again in October 2009.

Departmental Plants

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies has spent on pot plants in 2009-10 to date.

Chris Bryant: Since April 2009 there has been no identifiable spend on the purchase of pot plants within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Diplomatic Service: Manpower

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the potential effects on  (a) security and  (b) levels of fraud in respect of his Department's operations of the replacement of management officers in UK overseas missions as part of the Corporate Services Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The localisation of management slots under the Corporate Services Programme has been extensively discussed with relevant departments at home and overseas. We are satisfied that the implications for our security and incidence of fraud remain manageable. We continue to work with all our missions overseas to support them in ensuring the right controls are in place to handle risk effectively.

Government Hospitality: Wines

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 216W, on Government hospitality: wines, at which events between 25 November 2009 and 25 December 2009 wine from the Government wine cellar was served; and which of those events was attended by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Rhondda.

Chris Bryant: Between 25 November 2009 and 25 December 2009 Government Hospitality (GH) organised the following events at which wines from the GH cellar were used:
	
		
			  Date  Event  Host Department 
			 25 November Dinner for Kids Task Force Department for Children Schools and Families 
			 25 November Dinner for Chinese Transport Minister Department of Transport (DoT) 
			 26 November Lunch for European Ambassadors Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) 
			 26 November Reception for COI Government Equalities Office 
			 30 November Reception for Asia Task Force FCO 
			 30 November Reception for Corporate Alliance Attorney-General's Office 
			 3 December Reception for Global Health Security Department of Health (DoH) 
			 3 December Dinner for European Parliament Transport Committee DoT 
			 3 December Dinner for Global Health Security DoH 
			 6 December Dinner for Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister FCO 
			 7 December Dinner for Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister FCO 
			 8 December Reception for FCO Stakeholders FCO 
			 8 December Dinner for FCO Ministerial Team FCO 
			 9 December Reception for London Diplomatic Science Club Department for Business Innovation and Skills 
			 9 December Reception for Overseas Territories Consultative Council FCO 
			 10 December Dinner for London Business School HM Treasury 
			 11 December Lunch for GH Advisory Committee FCO 
			 14 December Reception for Hon CBE Presentation Department for Energy and Climate Change 
		
	
	I hosted the lunch for European Union Ambassadors on 26 November and the Reception for the Overseas Territories Consultative Council on 9 December 2009. I also attended the reception for FCO Stakeholders and the dinner for the FCO ministerial team on 8 December.

India: Terrorism

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the  (a) dates and  (b) location of each terrorist attack in India in the last three years took place; how many casualties were sustained in each such attack; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We do not have detailed records of all terrorist incidents in India for the period requested. However the significant terrorist incidents (for which we have information) since February 2007 are as follows:
	On 13 February 2010, a bomb exploded in Pune, Maharashtra. Nine people were killed and up to 53 were injured.
	On 16 October 2009, a bomb exploded in the town of Margao, Goa, killing one person.
	From 26-29 November 2008, terrorists attacked a number of sites in Mumbai, including luxury hotels, a railway station and a restaurant. Over 190 people were killed and more than 325 were injured. British nationals were among the casualties.
	On 30 October 2008, 11 bombs exploded in Assam. Areas affected were Guwahati and the Barpeta, Bongaigoan and Kokrajhar districts. 77 people were killed and over 300 were injured.
	On 21 October 2008, a bomb exploded in Imphal, Manipur killing 17 people and injuring many others.
	On 27 September 2008, a bomb exploded in New Delhi. Two people were killed and 24 were injured.
	On 13 September 2008 five bombs exploded in New Delhi, 30 people were killed and 90 were injured.
	On 26 July 2008, a series of bombs exploded in Ahmadabad, Gujarat and the surrounding area resulting in up to 49 fatalities and over 100 injured.
	On 25 July 2008 there were a series of bomb blasts in Bangalore, South Eastern India resulting in at least two fatalities and multiple injuries.
	On 13 May 2008, there were a series of bomb blasts in Jaipur, western India, resulting in 60 fatalities and 200 casualties
	On 13 December 2007, a train travelling from Dibrugarh to Guwahati was the target of a bomb blast, which resulted in five deaths.
	On 23 November 2007, there were a series of explosions in the state of Uttar Pradesh resulting in at least 13 fatalities with multiple injured.
	On 26 September 2007 a number of bombs were discovered in the Andheri suburb of the city of Mumbai near areas where large crowds gathered to welcome home the returning Indian cricket team following their victory at the Twenty20 World Championship tournament in South Africa.
	On 25 August 2007 at least 40 people were killed and 56 injured when two bombs exploded in Hyderabad.
	On 19 February 2007 explosions occurred in two carriages of the Samjhauta Express, travelling from Delhi to Lahore. 66 people died and over 50 passengers were injured.
	Accurate records of casualties incurred are often difficult to obtain. Therefore in many cases we can only provide estimates. The UK is working closely with the Indian authorities to address the terrorist threat to India and the region.

India: Terrorism

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support the Government of India in combating terrorism in the subcontinent; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK works with India to reduce the risk to India and to the UK and its interests overseas from international terrorism, through a range of operational and technical co-operation on counter-terrorism. We are closely engaged with India on tackling terrorism and developing our CT relationship, particularly in light of the devastating attacks in Mumbai in November 2008.
	At my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Summit in January 2008, the UK and India agreed to co-operate on security for major sporting events, particularly on preparations for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi this year. Indian officials visited the UK in July 2009 where a number of areas for co-operation were agreed, including assistance on crowd control and venue security management. A UK team subsequently travelled to Delhi in September for a Commonwealth Games security conference in Delhi. UK Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, John Yates, visited Delhi in January 2010 to discuss security preparations for the Games and offer UK support.

Indonesia: Christianity

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the government of Indonesia on the treatment of Christians in Jakarta.

Ivan Lewis: In general, there is a high degree of religious freedom in Indonesia, including for those practising Christianity.
	We are aware of problems surrounding the forcible closure of and occasional attacks on places of religious worship, both Christian and Islamic. Our ambassador to Jakarta raised freedom of religion most recently when he met the chair of the Indonesian Parliament's Commission III on Law, Human Rights and Internal Security on 1 December 2009.
	We, along with our EU partners, raise human rights concerns with the Indonesian Government and have pressed the authorities to ensure the rights of all religious minorities. We will continue to call for religious tolerance across Indonesia.

Iran: Politics and Government

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the political situation in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The political situation in Iran remains unsettled and many Iranians continue to believe that their political rights are not being respected. The Iranian authorities continue to clamp down on civil liberties and legitimate protest, and intimidate demonstrators, including using the death penalty against those accused of political dissent.
	These problems are entirely of the Iranian government's own making and suggestions that others, such as the UK, are responsible are both disingenuous and wrong.

Iran: Sanctions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 836W, on the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Bill, what discussions he has had with  (a) his EU counterparts,  (b) the High Representative and  (c) the European Commission on the proposed extraterritorial legislation; and whether a common position has been agreed.

David Miliband: The EU's opposition to extraterritorial legislation has been made clear on many occasions. There has been regular dialogue with my EU counterparts, including the High Representative's office on this matter, although as any legislation has yet to be finalised, there has been no EU common position adopted.

Iran: Sanctions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether sales of refined petroleum products sold to Iran by companies registered in the UK or with headquarters in the UK will be affected by the US-Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Bill; and what guidance his Department has issued to UK companies on the matter.

David Miliband: We have been closely monitoring progress of different draft Iran sanctions Bills through the House of Representatives and Senate. The two houses of Congress have not agreed a final version to send to the President. As this legislation is yet to be finalised, it is too early to determine the extent of the effect it may have on UK companies. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills provides clear guidance for exporters on extraterritorial legislation.

Iran: Sanctions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2010,  Official Report, column 836W, on the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Bill, what concerns he has about the use of extraterritorial legislation in respect of Iran's nuclear programme.

David Miliband: The UK and the US are united in their determination to address the challenge posed to the international community by Iran's nuclear ambitions. We are in constant dialogue with the US Administration to ensure that all our efforts are targeted on that rather than interrupting the sovereign right of nations to regulate activities within their own territory and interfere with the freedom of countries to conduct their own independent economic policies.

Members: Correspondence

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to reply to the letter of 6 November 2010 from the hon. Member for Woking concerning his constituent Mr. Brett.

Chris Bryant: We did not originally receive the hon. Member for Woking's letter of 6 November 2009, but have now had a copy faxed to us from his parliamentary office and will reply as soon as possible.

Overseas Residents: Death

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is provided by  (a) British consulates and  (b) his Department to assist the next of kin of persons who have died whilst working overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: When we are aware of the death of any British national abroad we will try to contact the person's next of kin as soon as possible. If the next of kin is in the UK we will ask the UK police to inform them. If they are overseas, our staff will try to contact them. We provide information about funeral options and on returning bodies and belongings to the UK. We provide a list of local and international funeral directors. While we cannot pay expenses, we can advise on how best to transfer money from the UK to pay any necessary costs. We advise families how to register a death and put them in touch with other organisations that offer help and support.
	We also provide our publication 'Guide for bereaved families'
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/2855621/bereaved-families
	which brings together information that may be useful to families and friends of British nationals who die overseas.

Pakistan: Children

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has  (a) received recent representations on (i) child labour and (ii) access to the justice system for (A) minority groups and (B) those in poverty in Pakistan and  (b) had recent discussions with the Government of Pakistan on child labour in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK is committed to working with the Government of Pakistan to address the challenges that are faced surrounding the issue of child labour. Together with our EU partners, the UK regularly raises child labour and has lobbied the Government of Pakistan to implement existing legislation which protects children from such abuse. The most recent EU demarche on this subject was in December 2009. The issue of child labour will also form part of the forthcoming EU-Pakistan Human Rights dialogue.

Peacekeeping Operations: Human Rights

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UN peacekeeping missions  (a) do and  (b) do not have a mandate to monitor human rights.

Chris Bryant: The following UN Peacekeeping missions are specifically mandated to monitor human rights:
	The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)
	The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
	The United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)
	The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT)
	The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
	The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
	The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI)
	The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT)
	The following UN Peacekeeping missions are not specifically mandated to monitor human rights:
	The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
	The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)
	The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF)
	The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
	The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)
	The United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)
	In Resolution 1244 the UN Security Council mandated the protection and promotion of human rights in Kosovo. While much of this work has now passed from the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to local and other international institutions, the UN Secretary General continues to routinely report on human rights.
	Additionally all UN missions provide regular in country reporting which may include monitoring of human rights. Significant progress has been made in integrating the UN's human rights work: for example all resident coordinators of UN country teams must now receive human rights training.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the proposed creation of a UN expert panel to investigate allegations of abuse of internally displaced persons by the Sri Lankan army.

Ivan Lewis: We are not aware of any specific proposals for the creation of a UN expert panel to investigate allegations of abuse of internally displaced persons by the Sri Lankan army. We support the EU's call for an independent inquiry into allegations of violations of international law by both sides in the recent conflict in Sri Lanka. This could play an important role towards genuine national reconciliation. We continue to support the work of the UN in this regard, and have urged the Government of Sri Lanka to work constructively with them.

Sweden: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on anti-Semitic hate crimes in Malmö; what recent discussions he has had with the government of Sweden on anti-Semitism in Sweden; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: While our embassy in Stockholm monitors the domestic scene in Sweden closely, they have, to date, not seen specific reporting on this issue nor have representations been made to our embassy in Stockholm.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Constituency Organisation: Regulation

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for South-West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission undertakes impact assessments of its regulatory policies on small constituency associations.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it is mindful of the likely impact of its regulatory work on all those it regulates, including small parties and constituency associations staffed by volunteers. The Commission further informs me that when it brings forward substantive regulatory policy proposals that have not been considered in a previous impact assessment, it prepares an initial impact assessment and invites comments on this.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what reports he has received of the alleged killing by NATO forces of 10 people including eight schoolchildren in the village in Ghazi Khan, Narang District in the eastern province of Kunar, Afghanistan in late December 2009;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with NATO allies on the reported killing by NATO forces of 10 people including eight schoolchildren in the village in Ghazi Khan, Narang District in the eastern province of Kunar, Afghanistan in late December 2009;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with representatives of the Government of Afghanistan on the reported killing by NATO forces of 10 people including eight schoolchildren in the village in Ghazi Khan, Narang District in the eastern province of Kunar, Afghanistan in late December 2009.

Bob Ainsworth: The International Security Assistance Force, of which the UK is an integral part, is deeply saddened by any incident involving civilian deaths. However, this incident occurred outside of the UK Area of Operations and no UK troops were involved. In light of this, and the ongoing investigations into the incident, it is not appropriate for me to comment further.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's budget has been spent on Afghanistan in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The net additional costs incurred on military operations in Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) are met by the Reserve and are in addition to the defence budget. The costs that the Department would have incurred regardless of the operation taking place, such as wages and salaries, are not included. Savings on activities that have not occurred because of the operation-for example training exercises-are taken into account in arriving at the net figures. The costs of operations in Afghanistan over the last 12 months fall into two financial years, as set out in the table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   FY2008-09  FY2009-10 
			  Resource Type  Final outturn  Estimate (as per winter supplementary estimates) 
			 Total resource DEL 1,655 2,209 
			 Total capital DEL 968 1,545 
			 Total all DELs 2,623 3,754

Armed Forces: Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of those who completed a course at the Defence Academy in the last five years  (a) are serving in the armed services and  (b) are working as civilian staff for his Department.

Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Colombia: Military Aid

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 742W, on Colombia: military aid, how many UK service personnel are assigned to conducting counter narcotics capacity building activities in Colombia.

Bill Rammell: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Defence: Public Expenditure

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of gross domestic product is spent on defence.

Bob Ainsworth: An estimated 2.6 per cent. of UK gross domestic product was spent on defence in the financial year 2008-09.

Departmental Complaints

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has a procedure for  (a) recording and  (b) investigating complaints from members of the public.

Kevan Jones: Yes. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a complaints handling procedure that follows the Parliamentary and Health Services ombudsman best practice guidance.
	Details can be found on the MOD website at the following link:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Help/ModComplaints Procedure.htm

Departmental Correspondence

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has standards of service for responding to correspondence from  (a) members of the public and  (b) hon. Members.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) follows the Cabinet Office guidelines for answering correspondence from members of the public and hon. Members. The Cabinet Office target is for ministerial correspondence to be answered within 20 working days. However, the MOD has undertaken to respond to 90 per cent. of letters from MPs and Peers within 15 working days. The MOD also aims to respond to all correspondence from members of the public within 15 working days.
	The Cabinet Office publishes on an annual basis, a report on Departments' and agencies' performance on handling ministerial correspondence, and the report for 2009 will be published once figures have been collated.

Departmental Energy

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Kevan Jones: Ministry of Defence establishments will be encouraged to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010, subject of course to operational and security considerations.

Departmental Housing

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department received from the sale of housing stock in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence has received the following receipts from the sale of surplus housing stock in Scotland in each of the last five financial years:
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of service families accommodation sold  Receipts received for service families accommodation sold (£ million) 
			 2005-06 238 14.9 
			 2006-07 242 21.0 
			 2007-08 107 16.0 
			 2008-09 407 23.4 
			 2009-10 (1)34 (1)4.6 
			 (1) To date.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since 2005.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the armed forces collectively maintain four corporate websites. There have been the following designs commissioned across the four sites since 2005:
	The MOD corporate website was completely redesigned in 2005-06 and re-launched on 1 February 2006. A series of minor design enhancements were made between June 2007 and March 2008:
	www.mod.uk
	The Royal Navy website was redesigned in late 2005 and re-launched on 6 February 2006. An additional refresh was carried out in 2007:
	www.royalnavy.mod.uk
	The British Army website was redesigned in 2008:
	www.army.mod.uk
	The Royal Air Force internet site was redesigned in financial year 2006-07:
	www.raf.mod.uk
	Information on designs commissioned for MOD websites other than the four corporate sites is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Consultation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines his Department uses on public consultation; and whether those guidelines are published on his Department's website.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to following best practice in conducting public consultations, and therefore follows the Government's Code of Practice on Consultation, which first came into effect from 1 April 2004.
	The MOD's external website provides a link to the most recent version of the code, which is now displayed on the website of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Met Office

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Met Office Review Group continues to meet.

Kevan Jones: The Met Office Review Group continues to meet on a regular basis.

Met Office

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department last met the Shareholder Executive to discuss the future of the Met Office; and when he expects the next such meeting to take place.

Kevan Jones: MOD Officials met with the shareholder executive and discussed the future of the Met Office on 23 February 2010. MOD officials and the shareholder executive meet on a regular basis to discuss the future of the Met Office.

Met Office

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will meet representatives from the private weather sector to discuss the future of the Met Office.

Kevan Jones: The Secretary of State for Defence has no current plans to meet representatives from the private weather sector to discuss the future of the Met Office. However, Shareholder Executive officials have met private sector weather companies as part of the Met Office Operational Efficiency Programme review.

Met Office

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made a recent estimate of the contribution of the private weather sector to the economy.

Kevan Jones: The Secretary of State for Defence has not made a recent estimate of the contribution of the private weather sector to the economy.

Met Office

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what business models the Met Office Review Group is considering for the Met Office.

Kevan Jones: The recommendations of the Operational Efficiency Programme Asset Portfolio Document published in December 2009 outlined that the Met Office should pursue a range of value enhancing opportunities in terms of commercial business growth, improvement to their business model and efficiency through cross-government collaboration. There remains an option in the medium term that status should be kept under review as conditions and opportunities change.

Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2010,  Official Report, column 209W, on the Ministry of Defence Guarding Service Agency, if he will ensure that the Ministry of Defence Police remains part of the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency.

Kevan Jones: The agency status of the MOD Police and Guarding Agency is currently under review. Any changes to the structure of the agency would require ministerial agreement and also consultation with the trade unions and staff associations.

Trident

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether, as part of the programme to develop a successor to the Trident nuclear weapons system, his Department is carrying out any studies into the feasibility of using Astute class submarines as a platform for the launch of nuclear armed cruise missiles.

Quentin Davies: No. The 2006 White Paper "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm6994) concluded that a submarine launched ballistic missile system was the most cost-effective replacement for our existing nuclear deterrent. Cruise missiles have a number of disadvantages compared to ballistic missiles including smaller range and payload and increased vulnerability, and we are planning to replace the Vanguard class of SSBN by a new "successor" class of ballistic missile submarines.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many performance reviews were undertaken in respect of staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a direct result of such a rating; and what percentage of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Dan Norris: DEFRA and its Executive Agencies have undertaken annual staff performance reviews for all permanent staff over the last five financial years. These comprise formal reviews at mid-year and end-year and informal reviews on an ad hoc basis. Staff appraisal information is held as individual records; this means that collated data cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	A review of 'unsatisfactory' or similar rating does not directly lead to dismissal: DEFRA and its Executive Agencies have a specific process in place to manage under or poor performance which can be implemented at any time of the year and is not necessarily triggered by the performance marking.
	The number of staff dismissals in DEFRA and its Executive Agencies, due to underperformance, over the last five years is in the table and also expressed as a percentage of FTE staff.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			 2004-05 5 0.04 
			 2005-06 6 0.04 
			 2006-07 10 0.07 
			 2007-08 (1)- (1)- 
			 2008-09 29 0.26 
			 (1) Suppressed on grounds of confidentiality

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies managed out in the last five years who remain working in the public sector.

Dan Norris: The term 'managed out' is not used within the civil service, so we have considered this question as applying to redundancies.
	Neither DEFRA nor its Agencies record whether staff who have been made redundant have remained working in the public sector. We are therefore unable to provide the estimate requested.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on  (a) new furnishings,  (b) works of art and  (c) new vehicles in each of the last two years.

Dan Norris: The Department spend was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   New furnishings  Works of art  New vehicles 
			 2007-08 117,190 Nil 170,078.65 
			 2008-09 1,593,976 23,236 714,327.51 
		
	
	The notable increase in furnishings for the 2008-09 year includes major new build
	and refurbishment projects throughout the DEFRA estate including:
	Lion House, Alnwick
	Dragonfly House, Norwich
	Foss House, York
	Refresh of the London Estate (smart-working programme)
	Various Animal Health refurbishments.
	Delivery and payment for new vehicles in 2007-08 was delayed into 2008-09, hence the reason for the increase in total spend.

Departmental Travel

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to the public purse of international travel undertaken by his Department has been since May 2007.

Dan Norris: From information drawn from the core Department's central booking system, the cost of international travel, which includes air, rail and hotels, is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 2,130,227 
			 2008-09 1,602,431 
			 2009-10 (April to November 2009) 1,007,791 
		
	
	The cost of international travel booked outside the central booking services could be determined only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average time his Department took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Dan Norris: It is not possible to provide an average time taken to answer parliamentary questions. During the period 1 January to 31 December 2009 DEFRA received 562 named day questions, 327 of which were answered on the named day and 2,387 ordinary written questions, 2,148 of which were answered within 10 days.
	The Department strives to provide hon. Members with answers to all parliamentary questions as quickly as it can.
	With effect from the current Session of Parliament, each department will provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics on the time taken to answer written questions. This implements recommendation 24 of the third report from the Procedure Committee, Session 2008-09.

Foxes: Urban Areas

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers local authorities have to manage the number of foxes in urban areas.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There is no statutory duty on local authorities, or anyone else, to control foxes in their areas. In so far as authorities are owners and occupiers of property, they have the same powers to control foxes as any other owner or occupier. They also have a general discretionary power under the Local Government Act 2000 that enables them to take any action to promote social, economic or environmental well-being as long as there is no specific statutory prohibition.

Foxes: Urban Areas

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance his Department provides to local authorities to tackle problems caused by urban foxes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Natural England has published an advisory leaflet on urban foxes that describes a number of different approaches to control that are suitable in urban situations. The leaflet is available on the Natural England website or by contacting its Wildlife Management and Licensing Service.
	If a local authority requested advice from DEFRA, we would recommend non-lethal methods to resolve fox problems (as territories made vacant by culling resident foxes are rapidly colonised by new individuals) and suggest the authority seeks further technical advice from a wildlife management adviser in Natural England if required.

Foxes: Urban Areas

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints regarding urban foxes his Department received in each year of the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA occasionally receives complaints regarding urban foxes among a large quantity of correspondence about foxes more generally. This information has been held only since 2007 and it would not be reasonable or cost effective to undertake a manual search of our records to distinguish those cases that are specifically complaints about urban foxes.

Foxes: Urban Areas

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to prevent instances of rabies among urban foxes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK has strict controls on importing rabies susceptible animals from other countries-six-months quarantine for some cases, or vaccination followed by a six-month waiting period for certain travelling pets. These controls offer good protection against a rabies outbreak, whether in domestic animals, livestock or wildlife, including urban foxes.
	DEFRA, with the Food and Environment Research Agency and other partners, maintains contingency planning arrangements for a rabies outbreak in wildlife, which are currently being reviewed and updated. Measures to tackle the disease in urban foxes would include targeted vaccination programmes, although specific control measures would be determined by expert veterinary and other advice in response to any rabies incident.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to reply to the email from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 11 January 2010, on litter and fly-tipping.

Dan Norris: I replied to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 22 January and have arranged for a copy of the response to be sent to him.

Parrots: Animal Welfare

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2010,  Official Report, column 394W, on parrots: animal welfare, if he will bring forward proposals to establish minimum cage sizes and standards for parrots.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We consider that the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to provide for the welfare need of animals, including a suitable environment, are sufficient to ensure the proper welfare of pet parrots. Therefore we have no plans to bring forward further proposals.

Renewable Energy: Waste

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  on what dates the joint working group on energy from waste policy has met;
	(2)  what consideration the joint working group on energy from waste policy has given to end of waste fuels.

Dan Norris: The Energy from Waste Project Board held its first meeting on 27 January 2010.
	The project is intended to provide clarity and guidance to those in local authorities and industry involved in waste management. In particular we shall be developing a more explicit hierarchy of energy recovery, seeking to define more clearly what constitutes "the right energy from the right waste". End of waste fuels are one of the materials the project will consider.

Renewable Energy: Waste

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the three month period for consideration of comments made on the draft End of Waste protocol under Article 8(2) of the Technical Standards Directive (98/34/EC) will conclude; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: On 23 and 26 November 2009 the European Commission and Austria respectively commented under article 8(2) of the technical standards directive on the draft end-of-waste protocol for fuel produced from waste lubricating oil that the UK notified under article 8(1) of the directive. The UK responded to both sets of comments on 15 February 2010. In doing so, it was confirmed that the UK intended to adopt the end-of-waste protocol on the basis notified to the Commission on 27 August 2009 and that the UK would communicate the definitive text to the Commission in compliance with article 8(3) of the directive. The Environment Agency expects to publish the definitive text before the end of March 2010.

Sky Lanterns

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department has collated on the risks posed by air-released Chinese lanterns for  (a) grazing livestock and  (b) ripening crops; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA has made no formal assessment of the risks posed by air-released Chinese lanterns. However, we recognise there has been concern among farmers and livestock keepers about the effect of these lanterns on grazing livestock. Anecdotal evidence suggests that while few animals have been affected, the impacts can be severe.
	We are not aware of evidence that Chinese lanterns have caused damage to ripening crops, but we appreciate concern over potential risks including fire, contamination, and litter.
	We will be working with interested parties to consider how the risks may be mitigated.

Veterinary Services: Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 49W, on veterinary services: complaints, if he will  (a) invite the group Rights 4 Pets (PrOtEcT) vets to participate in the meeting on 2 March 2010 and  (b) meet that group to discuss its representations on the investigation of complaints against veterinary surgeons.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 26 February 2010
	I am meeting representatives of the Action Group Against the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on 2 March 2010. Rather than invite the Rights 4 Pets group to this meeting at this late stage, I would be happy to meet the group on a separate occasion to discuss their concerns.

TRANSPORT

Airports: Sales

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what progress has been made on the sale of  (a) Glasgow and  (b) Edinburgh airports by BAA; when each such sale is expected to be completed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he last met representatives from  (a) BAA and  (b) the Competition Commission to discuss the sale of (i) Edinburgh and (ii) Glasgow airport.

Paul Clark: The Competition Commission's market inquiry into BAA's ownership of seven UK airports included a recommendation that BAA should sell one of either Edinburgh or Glasgow airports. I have had no meetings with either BAA or the Commission on this matter. The Commission's decisions are currently the subject of legal process and it would not therefore be appropriate to comment further at this time.

Bus Services: Concessions

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much the Government has spent on concessionary bus travel for pensioners  (a) in England and  (b) in the City of York in each year since such schemes were introduced.

Sadiq Khan: Before 1 April 2008, funding for the statutory minimum bus concession was provided exclusively through the formula grant system. Formula grant is an unhypothecated block grant and as such it is not possible to identify how much formula grant has been allocated to local authorities for any particular service, such as concessionary travel.
	When the statutory minimum concession increased from half-fare to free fare in April 2006, additional funding of £350 million in 2006-07 and £367.5 million in 2007-08 was added to formula grant to fund the additional burden to local authorities.
	From April 2008, the Department for Transport has provided additional special grant funding to local authorities to cover the extra costs of providing England-wide travel of:
	 (a) £212 million in 2008-09 and £217 million in 2009-10 to the whole of England;
	 (b) £1,112,199 in 2008-09 and £1,138,431 in 2009-10 to the City of York council.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) continues to provide the bulk of concessionary travel funding to local authorities through formula grant.
	The following table shows how much was spent on concessionary travel by all local authorities in England and by the City of York council since 2000, when the Government first introduced a statutory minimum bus concession. These figures include
	spending on both older and disabled travel concessions and include any discretionary enhancements offered by local authorities.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 England 468 487 487 510 539 532 783 873 990 
			 City of York council 0.853 1.078 1.130 1.171 2.098 1.891 2.942 3.258 4.579

Departmental Empty Property

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 90W, on departmental buildings, what the  (a) book value and  (b) estimated annual rental value is of vacant residential properties owned by the Highways Agency.

Chris Mole: Property owner-occupiers who are unable to sell their homes because they are directly affected by a proposed Highways Agency road scheme (i.e. likely to have land acquired in the future) and are unable to sell it at a normal market price because of the scheme, can serve a blight notice on the Highway's Agency under the "Blight" provisions of the Town and Country Planning Acts. If the notice is accepted, the agency has to purchase the property in advance of its operational requirement. These properties cannot be sold immediately because any new owner would be able to serve another blight notice on the agency requiring them to purchase it again. The properties could also not be sold at a normal market value. These properties are therefore held by the agency while the scheme is in the major projects programme and the route is protected from development. In some cases this can be for a number of years.
	The potential annual rental income from the Highways Agency's residential properties would be £3.4 million, if all the properties were let and in good tenantable condition. The net book value of the agency's properties that are currently let is £67.3 million; the net book value of the empty properties is £22.9 million. This valuation takes into account current condition and the affect of the planned road improvement on the property.
	The values and potential rental income are broken down in more detail in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Net book value  Potential annual rental income 
			 Beyond economic repair 1,335,200 97,200 
			 In sale process 8,282,000 258,504 
			 Currently under repair/refurbishment 5,377,000 225,900 
			 Seeking tenants 1,515,000 58,380 
			 Awaiting demolition 362,500 23,400 
			 Held vacant for consideration for refurbishment next financial year 6,045,000 248,940 
			 Total for empty properties 22,916,700 912,324 
			 Total for occupied properties 67,258,250 2,534,787 
			 Total 90,174,950 3,447,111

Departmental Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the  (a) potential annual rental and  (b) total book value of (i) empty and (ii) occupied residential properties owned by his Department.

Chris Mole: Information in respect of the Driving Standards Agency and the Highways Agency is provided as follows.
	The Driving Standards Agency owns the freehold of the land for its Bournemouth Driving Test Centre. Above the centre are two residential flats. Both are occupied. The Driving Standards Agency receives a peppercorn rent of £20 per annum in total. The occupiers of the flats each own the leasehold of their flat.
	Property owner-occupiers who are unable to sell their homes because they are directly affected by a proposed Highways Agency road scheme (i.e. likely to have land acquired in the future) and are unable to sell it at a normal market price because of the scheme, can serve a blight notice on the Highway's Agency under the "Blight" provisions of the Town and Country Planning Acts. If the notice is accepted, the agency has to purchase the property in advance of its operational requirement. These properties cannot be sold immediately because any new owner would be able to serve another blight notice on the agency requiring them to purchase it again. The properties could also not be sold at a normal market value. These properties are therefore held by the agency while the scheme is in the major projects programme and the route is protected from development. In some cases this can be for a number of years.
	The potential annual rental income from the Highways Agency's residential properties would be £3.4 million, if all the properties were let and in good tenantable condition. The net book value of the agency's properties that are currently let is £67.3 million; the net book value of the empty properties is £22.9 million. This valuation takes into account current condition and the affect of the planned road improvement on the property.
	The values and potential rental income are broken down in more detail in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Net book value  Potential annual rental income 
			 Beyond economic repair 1,335,200 97,200 
			 In sale process 8,282,000 258,504 
			 Currently under repair/refurbishment 5,377,000 225,900 
			 Seeking tenants 1,515,000 58,380 
			 Awaiting demolition 362,500 23,400 
			 Held vacant for consideration for refurbishment next financial year 6,045,000 248,940 
			 Total for empty properties 22,916,700 912,324 
			 Total for occupied properties 67,258,250 2,534,787 
			 Total 90,174,950 3,447,111

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many driving offences of each type were committed by drivers of the Government Car and Despatch Agency while on duty in each of the last three years.

Paul Clark: The Government Car and Despatch Agency does not hold information on driving offences.
	The agency conducts an annual inspection of all driving licences of its drivers. Any driver with six or more points on his or her licence is reminded that the maintenance of a valid licence is a requirement of the job.

Hackney

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport (DFT) does not routinely hold transport statistics on a parliamentary constituency basis. The Department provides Transport for London (TfL) with a block grant to fund transport delivery in London. This grant has more than doubled in the last nine years, rising to almost £3 billion in 2009-10. Drawing on these and other resources, the Mayor is responsible for publishing and, through TfL, implementing a transport strategy for London, while the boroughs are required to publish local implementation plans which set out how they will contribute to the Mayor's strategy.
	The additional funding that has been made available has helped deliver 1,089 million passenger journeys on the tube in 2008-9, the highest ever. London Underground's scheduled service is now its largest ever, and in 2008-09 96.4 per cent. was run, the best annual result for 14 years.
	Bus services in London have also improved. 2,247 million passenger journeys were made in 2008-09 and patronage grew by almost 47 per cent. between 1997-98 and 2007-08.
	Rail routes serving Hackney North and Stoke Newington have also improved. Served by National Express East Anglia, this franchise has seen punctuality increase from 85 per cent. to 91 per cent. since 2004, over 450 carriages have been refurbished and many stations have been upgraded.
	On the roads, national targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured by 40 per cent. and reduce the number of "slight" casualties by 10 per cent. (compared to the period 1994-98) by 2010 were largely exceeded by TfL by 2004, leading to TfL setting themselves new targets of 50 per cent. and 25 per cent. respectively.
	There have also been improvements to cycling across London. In May 2010 TfL will launch its cycle hire scheme and construction of the cycle superhighways is now under way; one route will run from Tottenham to the City through Hackney. TfL report that cycling now accounts for 2 per cent. of trips in London compared to 1.2 per cent. in 2000, and between 2000-01 and 2007-08 TfL's automatic cycle counters reported an increase in cyclists of 91 per cent.

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Louise Ellman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what research  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have undertaken on the effectiveness of (i) halogen and (ii) bi-xenon headlights.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has commissioned two studies related to the effectiveness of halogen and bi-xenon headlights.
	TRL carried out a review of existing research on gas discharge (i.e. bi-xenon) headlights in 1994 to assist in the development of European regulations on the subject.
	In 2000, ICE ergonomics at Loughborough University studied headlight glare and driver vision to help establish a basis against which future headlamp performance requirements might be assessed.

Railway Network

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many new miles of railway track have been  (a) brought into use and  (b) laid at each location since 1997.

Chris Mole: holding answer 26 February 2010
	The Department for Transport does not hold information on when and where railway track has been added to or taken away from the national network.
	This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to this question:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London, N1 9AG.

Railways

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 199-201W, on railways, if he will have discussions with the Association of Train Operating Companies on amending National Rail Conditions of Carriage to permit surfboards to be transported on trains.

Chris Mole: Wider discussions are already taking place between the Department for Transport and the Association of Train Operating Companies about the National Rail Conditions of Carriage. At the same time a general review of the Conditions of Carriage is under way to ensure that they are in accordance with current consumer law.
	The Association of Train Operating Companies has reviewed in particular the table in Section II Appendix B relating to the carriage of specified articles, including surfboards. The outputs of this review will be a proposal from the Association of Train Operating Companies on behalf of their members for the approval of the Secretary of State.

Roads: Flooding

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has spent on repairs to flood-damaged roads and related infrastructure in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: Following the 2007 summer floods this Department allocated £41 million funding to 10 local authorities to assist them to repair damage to their local highways caused by flooding. In 2009 this Department allocated £2.6 million to Northumberland to assist them repair damage to their highways caused by flooding.
	This Department is currently working with Cumbria county council to assist them to identify the full damage to their highways network caused by flooding in November. To date, the authority have been allocated £4.6 million to cover the costs of establishing a temporary road bridge in Workington over the River Derwent to replace those damaged or destroyed. In addition the Army erected a temporary footbridge also over the River Derwent in Workington at a cost to the Government of £1 million.
	This Department has agreed to contribute £30,000 towards the costs of short-term project management for Cumbria county council to develop their transport infrastructure recovery plan.
	Because of the closure of the road bridges in Workington a temporary rail station at North Workington has opened and additional rail services have been put in place to allow transport across the River Derwent. The estimated cost to this Department of funding the additional rail services until May 2010 is £1.2 million.

PRIME MINISTER

Binyam Mohamed

David Davis: To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the report on Binyam Mohamed which the Intelligence and Security Committee has made to him.

Gordon Brown: This will be published alongside the Intelligence and Security Committee's views on the consolidated guidance to intelligence officers and service personnel on standards during the detention and interviewing of detainees overseas.

Bullying

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to the answer of 1 September 2009,  Official Report, column 1815W, on Civil Service: bullying, how many complaints of bullying in the workplace have been made by Downing Street employees in each year since 2007.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by official spokesman on 22 February 2010. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website at:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page22576

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister how many designs for its website his Office has commissioned since 2005.

Gordon Brown: My Office has commissioned one design for its website since 2005.

Detainees

William Hague: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to the statement of 18 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 55-56WS, on detainees, when he expects to publish guidance to intelligence officers and service personnel on standards during the detention and interviewing of detainees overseas; and for what reason its publication has been delayed.

Gordon Brown: The Government remain committed to publishing the guidance as soon as the views of the Intelligence and Security Committee have been received.

Detainees

William Hague: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to the statement of 18 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 55-56WS, on detainees, whether the Intelligence Services Commissioner has conducted his first annual review of compliance with the guidance to intelligence officers and service personnel on standards during the detention and interviewing of detainees overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: Sir Peter Gibson's role in monitoring compliance with the guidance will commence when the consolidated guidance is published and in operational use.

Electoral Systems: Referendums

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister if he will consider the merits of including in any referendum held on electoral reform questions to include public support for  (a) the Lisbon treaty and  (b) Trident replacement.

Gordon Brown: I have no plans to do so.

HEALTH

Autism

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account will be taken of the mental health needs of adults with autism in the forthcoming Adult Autism Strategy.

Phil Hope: The autism strategy aims to ensure that mainstream public services become more inclusive of people with autism. This will mean ensuring that individuals' needs-including mental health needs-are assessed and that people with autism get the right kind of support to address their assessed needs.

Autism

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the delivery plan for the Adult Autism Strategy.

Phil Hope: The Delivery Plan, scheduled for publication in March 2010, will set out in more detail the timescale for delivery in the first year. Further delivery plans will be prepared for the second and third years of the strategy.

Autism

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has commissioned an autism prevalence study; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The NHS Information Centre (IC) issued invitations to tender to short list potential providers, to deliver much clearer information on the prevalence of autism in the population.
	The procurement exercise is now nearing its conclusion and the NHS IC is looking to award the contract by the end of the month. The Department hopes to publish the findings in spring 2011.

Autism

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 1042W, on autism, when he plans to publish the delivery plan for the adult autism strategy to be produced under section 1 of the Autism Act 2009.

Phil Hope: The Delivery Plan, scheduled for publication in March 2010, will set out in more detail the timescale for delivery in the first year. Further delivery plans will be prepared for the second and third years of the strategy.

Blood: Contamination

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people there are with bleeding disorders infected with  (a) hepatitis C and  (b) HIV as a result of being treated with contaminated blood products.

Gillian Merron: Based on historical data on clotting factor exposure, the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation estimates that there were 2,807 patients with bleeding disorders still living on 31 March 2009, who had been exposed to hepatitis C through contaminated blood products. Of these, around 15 per cent. would be expected to have cleared the virus naturally.
	 Source:
	UK Haemophilia Centres Doctors' Organisation Annual Report 2009 and Bleeding Disorder Statistics for the Financial Year 2008-09 (September 2009), table 15.
	The number of patients with bleeding disorders infected with HIV, who were still living on 31 March 2009, is 346.
	 Source:
	The Macfarlane Trust Annual Financial Report for the Year Ending 31 March 2009.

Care UK: Greater Manchester

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been assessed and treated by the Greater Manchester clinical assessment and treatment centre operated by Care UK since its inception.

Mike O'Brien: Since service commenced in February 2009, 24,596 patients have been discharged by the Greater Manchester Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service.

Care UK: Greater Manchester

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse  (a) per annum and  (b) per patient of treatment of each type at the Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service operated by Care UK in Greater Manchester.

Mike O'Brien: The estimated per annum cost of treatment of each type undertaken by the Greater Manchester Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service (CATS) is shown in table 1 as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1 .  Estimate of cost per annum of treatment of each type 
			  £ 
			  Treatment type  Year 1( 1)  Year 2  Year 3  Year 4  Year 5  Year 6  Year 7 
			 Clinical Triage 968,323 1,482,222 1,521,951 1,514,881 1,505,759 1,544,764 1,585,301 
			 
			 Direct Access Diagnostics(2) 15,433 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Direct Access General Surgery(2) 549 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Direct Access Gynaecology(2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Direct Access Time Limited Therapy(2) 237,964 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Direct Access Urology(2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ear, Nose and Throat(2) 2,379,146 3,633,748 3,731,336 3,714,158 3,693,705 3,789,692 3,888,273 
			 General Surgery 5,567,095 8,524,021 8,752,884 8,713,044 8,666,296 8,891,610 9,125,552 
			 Gynaecology 3,249,429 4,963,103 5,096,377 5,072,916 5,045,033 5,176,203 5,310,547 
			 Musculoskeletal 3,160,486 4,826,638 4,956,208 4,933,808 4,906,547 5,034,089 5,165,362 
			 Time Limited Therapy 1,717,056 2,985,771 3,065,880 3,051,895 3,034,978 3,113,875 3,195,184 
			 Urology 1,941,798 2,965,459 3,045,030 3,031,689 3,014,594 3,092,928 3,173,063 
			 Total 19,237,280 29,380,961 30,032,392 30,169,666 29,866,912 30,643,162 31,443,282 
			 (1) Year 1 shows actual costs; subsequent years are nominal contract values. (2) Includes direct access activities performed as non-contracted activity. 
		
	
	The cost of treatment per patient for each treatment type is shown in table 2 as follows.
	
		
			  Table 2. Estimate of cost of treatment per patient by treatment type( 1) 
			  Treatment type  Estimated cost( 1 ) (£) 
			 Clinical Triage 18.36 
			   
			 Direct Access Diagnostics 233.84 
			 Direct Access General Surgery 549.36 
			 Direct Access Gynaecology - 
			 Direct Access Time Limited Therapy 239.64 
			 Direct Access Urology - 
			 Ear, Nose and Throat 233.89 
			 General Surgery 339.84 
			 Gynaecology 308.21 
			 Musculoskeletal 336.01 
			 Time Limited Therapy 259.77 
			 Urology 343.82 
			 (1) The costs shown are per patient, a patient may have multiple procedures during their treatment pathway.

Departmental Energy

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Phil Hope: The Department will be alerting its staff to the Earth Hour as part of our wider sustainable development communications. However, since it occurs on a Saturday evening when most of our buildings have very low occupancy levels, we have no plans to mark it across our estate. In line with our standing practice, lighting will be dimmed in all our buildings and only lit where it is absolutely essential.

Departmental Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many arm's length bodies for which his Department is responsible there have been at the start of each financial year since 1997-98; how many staff each such body employed in each year; and what the annual budget was of each such body in each year.

Phil Hope: The details requested are available in published documents, including the "Annual Reports and Accounts" of the individual non-departmental public bodies, special health authorities and executive agencies.
	The Cabinet Office published a detailed overall Public Bodies document, covering the whole of central Government, for each of the financial years 1997-1998 to 2005-2006. The documents are available from the civil service website at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/ndpbs.aspx
	These publications list the Department's executive non-departmental public bodies and special health authorities, and provide details of funding, expenditure and staff employed. The Department's annual "Departmental Reports" also list its agencies for each year. These documents are available from the Department's website:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/AnnualReports/index.htm
	From 2006-07 onwards, the Cabinet Office has published an overall summary "Public Bodies" document, without the previous level detail. However, the Department has published its own "Public Bodies" document annually containing this detailed information. Copies of the Department's "Public Bodies" documents for 2007, 2008 and 2009 have been placed in the Library. "Public Bodies 2007, 2008 and 2009" are also available from the following website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_113099

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since 2005.

Phil Hope: The Department's website was re-designed once in this period, in February 2008.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department and each of its agencies; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available.

Phil Hope: The Department and its agencies use grading structures which do not necessarily exactly equate to management layers. Within the Department and its agencies there are 11 separate grades. Details of each grade, full-time equivalent staff, and annual pay bill costs for the core Department and its agencies are given in the following tables.
	 Core Department of Health
	The following figures given are for equivalent numbers of full-time staff (FTE) and are a 'snapshot', reported to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) as at 31 March 2009.
	
		
			  Grade  FTE as at 31 March 09 
			 Permanent Secretary 3.0 
			 Director General 14.0 
			 Director 53.7 
			 Deputy Director and equivalents 184.9 
			 Grade 6 252.8 
			 Grade 7 450.8 
			 SEO 367.1 
			 Fast Stream 61.0 
			 HEO 302.6 
			 EO 382.2 
			 AO 114.1 
			 Miscellaneous(1) 72.4 
			 Total 2,258.5 
			 (1) The miscellaneous category includes spot rate staff, fee paid staff, Ministers, special advisers and miscellaneous grades. 
		
	
	The staff figures have been published by ONS and can be found in the Civil Service Statistics 2009 (Table 11) on the following website:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=2899
	The pay bill figures as follows are for the full financial year 2008-09 and the following table was also part of the Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09.
	The overall pay bill for each grade in the table includes: salary, employer's national insurance contribution, employer's superannuation contribution, non-consolidated performance-related payments, allowances and, where appropriate, overtime.
	
		
			  Grade  2008-09 Pay bill (£000) 
			 Permanent Secretary 659 
			 Director General 2,260 
			 Director 9,848 
			 Deputy Director and equivalents 23,093 
			 Grade 6 22,783 
			 Grade 7 31,327 
			 SEO 17,569 
			 Fast Stream 2,652 
			 HEO 12,223 
			 EO 12,804 
			 AO 3,381 
			 Miscellaneous 2,478 
			 Total 141,077 
		
	
	Please note that there are compositional differences between the two data sets presented above: ONS numbers provided for staff full time equivalents (FTE) give the best measure of how many people work at the Department and at what level. Some individuals working within the Department are not on payroll, for example they are secondees in. The second table includes payroll costs of secondments and loans out (but not income associated with secondments out), whereas secondments and loans out are excluded in the ONS definitions for staff numbers. Additionally, payroll costs are for the whole year while ONS figures are snapshot.
	 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
	The following table has been produced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) finance division in accordance with the principles used to publish the MHRA's 2008-09 accounts.
	
		
			  Grades  Average FTE  Annual salary and associated employment costs (£000) 
			 Director General 2 387 
			 Director 5 884 
			 Deputy Director 101 11,572 
			 G6 88 8,798 
			 G7 105 3,013 
			 SEO 186 6,979 
			 HEO 79 7,383 
			 EO 203 6,340 
			 AO 119 2,861 
			 Totals 888 48,217 
		
	
	 NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA)
	
		
			  Analysis of numbers and salary cost by grade, as at 1 January 2010 
			Salary cost 
			  Grade  FTE at 1 Jan 2010  December 2009 month  Annual equivalent (£000) 
			 SCS 1 9,385.85 113 
			 G6 11 24,762.14 297 
			 G7 3 60,666.55 728 
			 SEO 8 73,294.45 880 
			 HEO 20 27,759.15 333 
			 EO 17 41,608.98 499 
			 AO 5 8,101.62 97 
			 Total 66 245,578.74 2,947

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the copyright on the Platt Review on the establishment of a social care journal is owned by his Department.

Phil Hope: Copyright for the Raising the Status of Social Care report in 2007 rests with Dame Denise Platt CBE.

General Practitioners: Pay

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) median and  (b) mean salary of a GP in each region was in (i) nominal and (ii) real terms in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not fully available in the format requested.
	Average (mean) information before 2004-05 at strategic health authority (SHA) and Government office regional (GOR) level and before 2001-02 at England level is unavailable.
	Median information is unavailable at SHA/GOR and England levels.
	Such data as are available have been combined into a table, which, has been placed in the Library.

Health Services: Channel Islands

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals from  (a) Guernsey and  (b) Jersey have had emergency admission and received treatment from an NHS hospital since the cancellation of the reciprocal health agreement between the Channel Islands and the UK on 1 April 2009; and how many such individuals (i) have been charged the costs of treatment and hospitalisation, (ii) have been billed for costs of treatment and hospitalisation but have yet to make payment, (iii) were exempt from charges by virtue of (A) being in receipt of a UK state pension and having lived in the UK for 10 continuous years, (B) being a spouse or civil partner visiting the UK with an exempt UK state pensioner and (C) being a child visiting the UK with an exempt UK state pensioner; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally.

Health Services: Channel Islands

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what method costs have been recouped in respect of charges incurred in emergency hospital admission and treatment of visitors to  (a) the UK and  (b) England from (i) Guernsey and (ii) Jersey since the cancellation of the reciprocal health agreement between the Channel Islands and the UK health services on 1 April 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally. It is for individual trusts to decide how charges are recouped in terms of methodology. This will depend on the circumstances of individual cases.

Health Services: Channel Islands

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been recouped in charges from visitors from Guernsey and Jersey since the cancellation on 1 April 2009 of the reciprocal health agreements between the Channel Islands and the UK consequent upon their emergency admission and receipt of treatment in UK NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: This information is not recorded centrally.

Health Services: Feltham

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on NHS healthcare in Feltham and Heston constituency in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The following table shows the amount spent on healthcare services by Hounslow Primary Care Trust (PCT) from 2002-03 to 2008-09, which are the only years for which information is available by organisation.
	
		
			  Hounslow PCT-purchase of healthcare 2002-03 to 2008-09 
			  £000 
			   Primary healthcare  Secondary healthcare  Other healthcare  Total healthcare 
			 2008-09 77,753 219,184 0 296,937 
			 2007-08 74,844 211,213 209 286,266 
			 2006-07 74,258 201,055 1,020 276,333 
			 2005-06 64,351 197,277 210 261,838 
			 2004-05 56,090 206,485 8,093 270,668 
			 2003-04 51,332 182,177 236 233,745 
			 2002-03 37,303 160,932 1,263 199,498 
			  Source: Audited summarisation schedules 2002-03 to 2008-09

Health Services: Feltham

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses were employed in Feltham and Heston constituency in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is contained within the following table.
	
		
			  All doctors and qualified nursing staff in selected area, as at 30 September 1997 to 2008 
			  numbers (headcount) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Hounslow Primary Care Trust (PCT) 
			 All Doctors(1) - - - - - 122 137 143 149 124 138 154 
			  O f which: 
			 Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) Doctors(1) - - - - - 2 3 3 4 1 9 13 
			 General Practitioners (GPs) * * * * * 120 134 140 145 123 129 141 
			  
			 Total Qualified Nursing Staff(2) * * * * * 292 303 300 286 265 269 249 
			  O f which: 
			 Qualified Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Staff * * * * * 213 208 221 200 190 190 184 
			 GP Practice Nurses(2) * * * * * 79 95 79 86 75 79 65 
			  
			  West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 
			 All Doctors(1) 166 163 180 197 200 198 220 248 248 257 288 238 
			  O f which: 
			 HCHS Doctors(1) 166 163 180 197 200 198 220 248 248 257 288 238 
			 GPs * * * * * * * * * * * * 
			  
			 Total Qualified Nursing Staff 604 710 619 559 704 820 817 857 765 815 888 904 
			  O f which: 
			 Qualified Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Staff 604 710 619 559 704 820 817 857 765 815 888 904 
			 GP Practice Nurses * * * * * * * * * * * * 
			 "*" = Denotes not applicable. (1) Data excludes Medical Hospital Practitioners and Clinical Assistants, most of which are GPs working part-time in hospitals. (2) In 2006 GP Practice Nurse headcount data for Hounslow PCT were estimated using the national average ratio of full-time equivalent (FTE) to headcount.  Notes: 1. Workforce data is not available by constituency. Feltham and Heston constituency is contained within and serviced by Hounslow PCT and West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust. 2. Hounslow PCT was formed in 2002. It is not possible to accurately map workforce figures for this organisation prior to the formation of the PCT.  Data Quality: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.  Sources: 1. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics 2. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-medical Workforce Census

Health Services: Greater Manchester

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the average unit cost per patient of  (a) orthopaedic,  (b) ear, nose and throat and  (c) gynaecology and urology (i) assessment and (ii) treatment by (A) NHS hospitals and (B) the Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service operated by Care UK in Greater Manchester.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested. We will arrange for the information to be prepared and a table will be placed in the Library as soon as possible.

Health Services: Isle of Man

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with his counterpart in  (a) Scotland,  (b) Northern Ireland and  (c) Wales on the modalities of and method for (i) recording and (ii) collecting charges from visitors from the Isle of Man who are detained and in receipt of emergency treatment in hospitals in (A) England, (B) Scotland, (C) Wales and (D) Northern Ireland consequent on the cancellation of the reciprocal health agreement between the Isle of Man and each UK health service with effect from 1 April 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  by what means he proposes to identify those visitors from the Isle of Man who are exempt from charges by virtue of  (a) being in receipt of a UK state pension and having lived in the UK for 10 continuous years,  (b) being a spouse or civil partner visiting the UK with an exempt UK state pensioner and  (c) being a child visiting the UK with an exempt UK state pensioner following the cancellation of the reciprocal health agreement; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  by what means it is proposed to  (a) identify and  (b) collect charges from visitors from the Isle of Man who are hospitalised whilst in the UK following the cancellation of the reciprocal health agreement on 1 April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Under the national heath service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, trusts have a legal duty to identify and charge those overseas visitors to the United Kingdom who are not exempt from charges, and to make and recover from them charges for their treatment.
	The Department has produced comprehensive guidance for the NHS to use when implementing these regulations, and most trusts have an Overseas Visitors Manager in post to oversee this. Trusts are advised to ask baseline questions to each patient to quickly identify if they have not lived lawfully in the UK for the past 12 months, and if they have not, to then interview them to establish if charges apply. It is a matter for individual trusts how they collect any charges that are due. The Department is contacting every trust informing them of the need to treat residents of the Isle of Man as overseas visitors from 1 April 2010 following the termination of the reciprocal healthcare agreement.
	Following discussions with departmental officials, the Devolved Administrations are putting in place their own arrangements in order to inform their organisations of the changing circumstances.

Hospitals

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) general acute hospitals,  (b) multi-service hospitals,  (c) short-term non-acute hospitals,  (d) long-stay hospitals,  (e) specialist hospitals and  (f) community hospitals there were in England according to the most recent Estates Return Information Collection data in each financial year from 1997-98 to 2008-09.

Mike O'Brien: The available information is shown in the following table but comes with a heavy caveat that definitions have changed over the years and a new category of 'Community Hospitals' has been introduced. These changes will have a significant effect on the numbers in categories and direct comparison year on year therefore will not be valid.
	
		
			   Number of sites 
			   General acute hospitals  Multiservice hospitals  Short-term non-acute hospitals  Long-stay hospitals  Specialist hospitals  Community hospitals  Total 
			 2000-01 392 - 390 394 - - 1,176 
			 2001-02 335 165 384 400 161 - 1,445 
			 2002-03 312 209 376 426 192 - 1,515 
			 2003-04 280 231 397 364 176 - 1,448 
			 2004-05 290 221 414 331 170 - 1,426 
			 2005-06 277 237 413 343 168 - 1,438 
			 2006-07 270 139 252 295 174 404 1,534 
			 2007-08 258 135 229 294 161 402 1,479 
			 2008-09 274 135 219 273 185 428 1,514 
		
	
	Data on national health service sites was not collected by the estates related information collection before 2000-01. Data on multi-service hospitals and specialist hospitals was not collected before 2001-02 and community hospital data was not collected before 2006-07. With the introduction of additional categories, hospitals in one category may have been moved to another.
	Until 2003-04, the provision of this data was mandatory for all NHS organisations. From 2004-05 onwards, provision of this data was mandatory for NHS organisations but voluntary for NHS foundation trusts, therefore, the data for this period may be incomplete.
	The data is presented as provided by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. Any inherent errors in the data will not have been corrected and questions regarding its accuracy should be addressed to the organisations concerned.
	Since 2000, 118 new hospital schemes have opened.

Modernising Scientific Careers Programme

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible under the Modernising Scientific Careers programme for  (a) funding and  (b) delivering audiology training courses.

Ann Keen: Higher education institutions in partnership with strategic health authorities and service providers will provide the new education and training programmes.

NHS: United Health Group

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts the NHS has with the United Health Group and its subsidiaries.

Mike O'Brien: This information is not held centrally.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Health Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sexual health clinics in each primary care trust have obtained accreditation under his Department's You're Welcome scheme.

Gillian Merron: The following table outlines how many sexual health services in each primary care trust (PCT) have "You're Welcome" accreditation, and how many have met the criteria but are awaiting accreditation.
	
		
			  PCT  Number of "You're Welcome" accredited sexual health clinics/services  Number of sexual health clinics/services meeting the "You're Welcome" criteria and awaiting accreditation 
			 Barnet - 1 
			 Blackburn and Darwen 1 - 
			 Blackpool 1 - 
			 Bolton 1 - 
			 Bradford and Airedale 3 - 
			 Greenwich - 6 
			 Lambeth 2 1 
			 Liverpool 1 - 
			 Manchester 1 - 
			 Middlesbrough 1 - 
			 Milton Keynes 1 - 
			 Northumberland 2 - 
			 Newcastle 1 - 
			 Oldham 1 - 
			 Portsmouth 1 - 
			 Stockport 1 - 
			 Westminster 1 1

Spectacles: Irlen Syndrome

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to provide the spectacles required by  (a) children and  (b) those on low incomes who have Irlen syndrome at no cost to the recipient.

Ann Keen: Optical vouchers to help with the purchase of glasses or contact lenses with a prescription power are available to children and to those on low incomes or in receipt of benefits.
	Where a child experiences symptoms associated with descriptions of Meares Irlen Syndrome the child's parents or carer should discuss the problem with the school and consult an optometrist to ensure that they do not overlook the possibility of refractive error or eye disease underlying the difficulty. If, after a sight test (and supply of glasses if necessary), a child is still experiencing difficulties then a wider assessment is called for.
	The best interests of children are likely to be served by a scheme of assessment and treatment, provided in agreement between local health and education services, which takes into account the full range of possible ways of helping children with the symptoms associated with descriptions of Irlen syndrome.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh: Floods

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcomes were of his recent discussions with the government of Bangladesh, with particular reference to the £60 million of Government funding for mitigation of the impact of global warming in Bangladesh.

Gareth Thomas: Officials of the Department for International Development (DFID) are in regular contact with representatives of the Government of Bangladesh. A senior official represented DFID at the Bangladesh Development Forum meeting, held in Dhaka on 15 and 16 February. During this meeting the Government of Bangladesh confirmed their wish to establish a Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Climate Change. Decisions on how the fund will be allocated will be led by the Government of Bangladesh, which will also be responsible for implementing projects supported by the fund. The World Bank will provide technical advice and financial management. The UK, the European Union and Denmark will provide grants to the fund.

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to what projects and programmes he has allocated funding for the development of micropayment transaction systems in Bangladesh in the last five years.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has funded the £13.4 million Remittances and Payments Partnership (RPP) project since 2006. RPP is helping to modernise Bangladesh's payment systems, including supporting the legal framework for micropayment transactions and reducing the costs of remittances for the poor. A challenge fund under RPP has supported both piloting and scaling up of innovative micropayment transaction systems.
	DFID has not supported any other such projects or programmes in Bangladesh in the last five years.

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding the  (a) Grameen bank and  (b) Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee has received for the purposes of developing a micropayment transaction system in the last five years.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided any funding to either Grameen Bank or BRAC to develop micropayment transaction systems in the last five years.

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has had recent discussions with  (a) Muhammad Yunus and  (b) Grameen bank on micropayment transactions in Bangladesh.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has had no such recent discussions with Professor Yunus or with Grameen Bank.
	DFID, together with the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), recently organised a conference on "Expanding Financial Services in Bangladesh" to which Grameen Bank was invited along with other banks and micro-finance lenders. Discussions at the conference focused on how to reach those without bank accounts and improve payment systems in Bangladesh, particularly using mobile telephones.

Departmental Advertising

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible spent on advertising in 2009.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) works in over 100 countries across the world and advertising can play a significant role in achieving development programme objectives including the promotion of health issues. It is not possible to disaggregate these costs from development programme expenditure without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission spent £5,888.90 on advertising in 2009. DFID is not responsible for any executive agencies.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department's buildings in each year since 2005.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) records and reports its environmental performance on a financial year basis. Data on energy use on the UK estate, and the corresponding carbon emissions, is reported in accordance with the "Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate" targets and is available on the websites of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC).
	The carbon dioxide emissions from our UK estate since 2005 were as follows:
	
		
			  Tonnes 
			 2005-06 4,574 
			 2006-07 4,607 
			 2007-08 4,387 
			 2008-09 3,945

Departmental Energy

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) will participate in the Earth Hour event, and take action to ensure that all non-essential lighting in our UK offices is turned off during this time. We will also be actively encouraging our overseas offices to take whatever action they can, depending on local circumstances.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since 2005.

Michael Foster: Since 2005, the Department for International Development (DFID) has commissioned one new design, preceded by a simple refresh which enabled feedback to be gathered and inform the new design.

Developing Countries: Water

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to attend UNICEF's high level meeting on water and sanitation in April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: This is a very important event and the Department for International Development (DFID) has been working closely with UNICEF to help ensure it is a success. I hope that the Secretary of State or I will be able to attend. If, however, for unavoidable reasons this is not possible, we will ensure that DFID is represented at a high level.

Haiti: Earthquakes

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on relief and deployments to Haiti since the earthquake on 12 January 2010.

Michael Foster: Since the earthquake on 12 January 2010, the Department for International Development (DFID) has allocated £20 million for relief and recovery in Haiti.

Overseas Aid

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has made an assessment of the merits of taking steps to assist developing countries to follow the procurement and contracting procedures set by the World Bank in respect of access to aid.

Gareth Thomas: The World Bank offers assistance to help developing countries understand and use its procurement systems. No requests have been made by the World Bank or developing countries for assistance from the Department for International Development (DFID) and we have not carried out an assessment.

Sri Lanka: EU External Trade

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on the suspension of Sri Lanka's GSP+ trade preference scheme status; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) fully supports the EU's decision to remove GSP+ trade preferences from Sri Lanka. Failure to implement core human rights conventions in Sri Lanka is unacceptable and the European Commission's report into these failures made the decision a straightforward one. I understand the importance of GSP+ to the Sri Lankan economy and I hope the EU's decision will encourage the government to take necessary action to implement its human rights obligations under GSP+.
	The Foreign Secretary released a written ministerial statement to Parliament on 23 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 36-38WS, outlining recent developments in the political and humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka, including the UK position on GSP+.

Sudan: Non-Governmental Organisations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which non-governmental organisations his Department is funding to conduct aid work in  (a) Sudan and  (b) Iraq; and how much each such organisation has been allocated for work in each country for 2009-10.

Michael Foster: Details of the Department for International Development's (DFID) bilateral aid delivered by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in recipient countries are published annually in "Statistics on International Development", which is available in the House Library or online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk.
	Final data for 2009-10 is not yet available and will be published in the 2010 edition of "Statistics on International Development".
	Following is a list of NGOs DFID is currently funding to conduct working in Sudan and Iraq in 2009-10. In addition to the direct funding to NGOs, DFID also provides support to a number of pooled funds through which NGOs can access funding; it is not possible to break down the recipients of these funds.
	 Sudan
	Medair
	Tear Fund
	GOAL
	Malaria Consortium
	Red R
	 Iraq
	International Red Cross
	BBC World Service Trust
	Care International
	Christian Aid
	Help Age International
	Mines Advisory Group
	Save the Children.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Al-Qaeda

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) individuals and  (b) asylum seekers resident in the UK are on the UN list of those belonging to or associated with al-Qaeda.

Alan Johnson: The latest UN Consolidated List of individuals who are associated with al-Qaeda is available on the UN Security Council Sanctions Committees' website at:
	http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/consolist.shtml
	We do not provide information that might identify those who have sought asylum in the United Kingdom, for obvious reasons.

Anti-terrorism Control Orders

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2010,  Official Report, column 1053W, on control orders, if he will set out the working practices which allow judges and special advocates to access closed judgments; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: holding answer 25 February 2010
	There are no restrictions on judges accessing closed judgments unless there are exceptional circumstances.
	Practical arrangements have been developed to enable special advocates to see closed judgments in cases in which they are not instructed. The Special Advocates Support Office (SASO) maintains a library and database of all closed judgments. If a special advocate wishes to see a closed judgment he or she directs a request to the SASO, giving reasons why he or she needs to see it.
	SASO will provide the judgment as long as adequate justification is provided. SASO keep a record of to whom and when judgments have been provided and notify the Home Office of the details via the Treasury Solicitor's Department. Once a special advocate has seen a closed judgment in a case in which he or she is not instructed, he or she will be prevented from acting in any related cases unless the individual in that case indicates in advance that they do not wish to meet with the special advocate.

Arrest Warrants

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken to secure the transfer to UK jurisdiction of an alleged criminal from each member state of the European Union was  (a) in each of the last three years before and  (b) after the entry into force of the provisions of the European Arrest Warrant; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: Prior to 1 January 2004, extradition requests from prosecutors in England and Wales to other jurisdictions were sent via the Home Office. Since 1 January 2004, when the European arrest warrant (EAW) came into force, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (for EAWs concerning Scotland) are the designated authorities for the receipt and transmission of EAWs in the UK.
	 (a) To collate this data would involve a manual examination of all records from 2001 onwards and would incur disproportionate cost. However, in "The Law on Extradition: A Review", published by the Home Office in March 2001 the then Home Secretary explained that in 2000, surrenders to the UK of persons who did not consent to extradition took an average of 10 months to complete. This does not include those surrendered to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
	 (b) It is not possible from SOCA current systems to provide data broken down into the time taken to secure transfer to UK jurisdiction of an alleged criminal from each member state of the European Union therefore an average time cannot be calculated. This would require a manual examination of all files and incur disproportionate cost.
	However, a report by the European Commission published in May 2009 found that contested EAWs executed by EU member states had taken an average of 43 days to complete.

Asylum

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people of each country of origin were  (a) granted and  (b) refused asylum in each quarter of (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Due to the quantity of data requested, the full response has been placed in the Library.
	The data have previously been published on the Home Office website as provisional data in the following publications:
	Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary (Q2 2008 to Q3 2009)
	Quarterly Asylum Statistics (Q1 2007 to Q1 2008).
	Data for Q1 2007 to Q4 2008, in the tables placed in the Library, have been updated from the provisional data contained in the above publications to reflect the latest available figures, as a result of data cleansing and updating of the administrative database. Data for 2008 remains provisional.
	Provisional data for quarter four 2009 will be available in the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary Q4 2009, due to be published on 25 February 2010. These will be available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Biometrics: Post Offices

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which post office branches are equipped to allow customers to enrol their biometrics; and which post office branches are planned to be equipped to allow customers to enrol their biometrics in each of the next five years.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 25 February 2010
	The UK Border Agency has entered into contract with Post Office Ltd. for a pilot scheme to enrol biometrics for migrants who are required to apply for an identity card. 17 post offices are taking part in the pilot as follows:
	Battersea
	Beckenham
	Camden
	Earls Court
	Old Street (London EC1)
	Beeston
	Bracknell
	Cambridge
	Durham
	Kingstanding (Birmingham)
	Middleton (Manchester)
	Oxford
	Redditch
	Romsey
	Stamford
	South Shields
	Union Street (Aberdeen).
	The contract allows for a further eight post offices to be added in 2010-11 but to date no decision has been made on extending the contract.
	An Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) notice was published in December 2009, which notified the market of the Identity and Passport Service's (IPS) intention to commence a competition to award the biometric enrolment concession to potential partners. The outcome of this competition will determine who will provide these services, and how many biometric enrolment outlets will be provided across the UK. IPS's current arrangement with the Post Office does not involve biometric enrolment.

Crime Prevention: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on preventing  (a) re-offending and  (b) antisocial behaviour in 2008-09; and how much it plans to spend for each such purpose in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office spent £145,700,000 in 2008-09 in England and plans to spend £155,000,000 in 2009-10 in England and Wales on specific programmes to prevent re-offending including the Drugs Intervention Programme, Integrated Offender Management and Prolific and other Priority Offender (PPO) Programme. Spending on specific programmes to prevent anti-social behaviour was £818,000 in 2008-9 and planned to be £1,977,000 in 2009-10.
	A number of specific and individual Home Office grants have now been combined into area based grant (ABG), which is allocated to local authorities on a three-year basis to maximise stability and certainty. The receiving authorities have flexibility to use ABG as they see fit to deliver local, regional and national priorities in their respective areas. The position in Wales is slightly different, whereby the funding for community safety partnerships has been consolidated into the crime reduction and antisocial behaviour national resource grant. In both England and Wales, it is for local partnerships to agree how the grants received should be allocated against locally determined priorities, including antisocial behaviour.
	Final allocations for 2010-11 have yet to be confirmed, and budgets for 2011-12 will be the subject of a future allocations exercise.

Crime: Foreigners

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals given leave to remain in the UK since 1997 have been convicted of a serious crime.

Phil Woolas: Identifying the number of foreign nationals given leave to remain since 1997 who have also been convicted of a serious crime, can be achieved only by reviewing individual case files, this would be at disproportionate cost.
	The UK Border Agency removed or deported approximately 11,000 foreign national offenders in 2008 and 2009. Of these, less than 0.002 per cent. had at some stage previously been granted indefinite leave to remain and subsequently been convicted of a serious crime such as manslaughter or rape.
	The information provided is internal management information and, as such, subject to change.

Crimes of Violence: Bookmakers

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with representatives of police forces on the incidence of attacks on bookmakers.

David Hanson: The Government take tackling all forms of robbery seriously. Following a number of robberies of bookmakers in November and December 2009 my officials have made contact with Northamptonshire Police and other forces who have confirmed that these serious offences are being dealt with as a matter of priority.

Departmental Disabled Staff

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in (i) his Department and (ii) the executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Phil Woolas: Table 1 provides information for the Home Office and its agencies on the numbers and proportion of staff who are disabled. Table 2 provides the median average salaries of disabled and non-disabled staff.
	The information provided is based on data collated by the Office of National Statistics for 31 March 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: Headcount and proportion of disabled staff in the Home Office( 1) 
			  Department  Disabled  Disabled employees as percentage of known disability status 
			  Home Office   
			 Home Office (excl. agencies)(2) 120 4.5 
			 UK Border Agency 1,020 6.0 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 20 3.0 
			 Identity and Passport Service(3) - - 
			 (1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Includes Government office for the regions employees. (3) The Identity and Passport Service declarations are extremely low so their data have not been included. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Median earnings by disability( 1,2) 
			   Full-time  Part-time 
			  Department  Disabled staff  Non-disabled  Disabled staff  Non-disabled 
			  Home Office 
			 Home Office (excl agencies) 26,750 32,220 18,380 25,360 
			 UK Border Agency 21,840 21,840 20,550 21,320 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 17,420 19,830 (1)- 17,560 
			 Identity and Passport Service(3) (3)- (3)- (3)- (3)- 
			 (1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10, numbers less than five are represented by "(1)-". (2) Salaries in this table represent the full-time equivalent salaries of employees rounded to the nearest 10. (3) The Identity and Passport Service declarations are extremely low so their data have not been included.

Departmental ICT

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost had been of the Heavy Hitter Programme Delivery Director service deployed in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; on which IT projects each consultant contracted under that service worked; and what payments have been made to each such consultant for work undertaken in connection with the programme.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office has no involvement in the Heavy Hitter programme. Previous involvement in this programme was based in parts of the Home Office that transferred to the Ministry of Justice on its establishment in 2007.

Departmental NDPBs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many non-departmental public bodies his Department is responsible.

Phil Woolas: Information on the number of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by my Department is published in the annual Cabinet Office report-Public Bodies. Public Bodies 2008 is available online at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb
	Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Public Bodies 2009 will be published shortly.

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: 15 employees within the Home Department (excluding its agencies) had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more years between June 2007 and September 2009. At September 2009 3,033 staff were employed by the Home Department (excluding its agencies).
	The Department has not been able to analyse three full years' data as data are available only from 1 July 2007 to 30 September 2009 (2.25 years).

Deportation

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deportations have not been completed in the last five years.

Alan Johnson: Since 2007, approximately 3,500 removal directions have been initially unsuccessful (incomplete). The reason for this will vary but will include for example the late lodging of a judicial review or a claim for asylum or the receipt of further representations requiring consideration prior to removal. Where such an initial direction has not been completed, the UKBA has, in over 95 per cent. of cases, already reset the removal direction and removed the person.
	Accurate figures relating to before 2007 are not available electronically and could only be obtained by investigating individual case-files. This would incur a disproportionate cost.
	This information is taken from internal management information systems and is subject to change.

Entry Clearances

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the cost to businesses of the removal from eligibility for the visa waiver scheme of those who have previously been arrested.

Phil Woolas: An estimate of cost to the business will be achieved only at disproportional cost.

Entry Clearances

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of entry clearance applications for settlement in the United Kingdom submitted to the British consulate in Tel Aviv were granted prior to the transfer of the processing of such applications to the British embassy in Istanbul; what percentage of applicants were of  (a) a Jewish and  (b) a non-Jewish background; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Prior to the transfer of processing entry clearance applications to the British embassy in Istanbul on 7 April 2008, 98 per cent. of entry clearance applications for settlement made at the British consulate in Tel Aviv were granted in the financial year of 2007-08.
	A breakdown of this figure to show comparisons for applicants with Jewish and non-Jewish backgrounds is not captured in our database.

Entry Clearances

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of applications for entry clearance to the United Kingdom submitted to the British consulate in Tel Aviv between June 2008 and May 2009 and processed by the British embassy in Istanbul was granted; how many such applications there were; what percentage of applicants were of  (a) a Jewish and  (b) a non-Jewish background; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Between June 2008 and May 2009, 1,559 applications for entry clearance were submitted to the British consulate in Tel Aviv and processed by the British embassy in Istanbul. 84 per cent. of these applications were granted.
	A breakdown of this figure to show comparisons for applicants with Jewish and non-Jewish backgrounds is not captured in our database.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of current Tier 4 sponsors in each category who will be accepted onto the new Highly Trusted Sponsor List.

Phil Woolas: It is not possible to estimate of the number of current Tier 4 sponsors in each category who will be accepted onto the Highly Trusted Sponsor List as the criteria is still being finalised. The criteria will be published in advance of 6 April implementation.

Immigration Controls

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to publish the Government's response to the Migration Advisory Committee's report on Tier 1 of the points-based immigration system.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 4 February 2010
	The Government will respond to the Migration Advisory Committee review of Tier 1 shortly.

Islam

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the number of radicalised Muslims resident in the UK.

David Hanson: Radicalisation may cover a range of beliefs and attitudes. It is not possible to provide this information. Our Prevent strategy supports individuals who are vulnerable to recruitment to violent extremism or terrorism, building on existing multi-agency support mechanisms at a local level.

Islam

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of radicalised Muslims resident in the UK in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: Radicalisation may cover a range of beliefs and attitudes and it is not possible to provide the information requested. Our Prevent strategy supports individuals who are vulnerable to being drawn into violent extremism and terrorism, building on existing multi-agency support mechanisms at a local level.

Members: Correspondence

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letters sent to him on 10 November and 2 December 2009 by the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling on his constituent Mr. Ryan Baird and Mr Baird's family.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 21 January 2010
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 9 February 2010 in response to his letters of 10 November 2009 and 2 December 2009.

Police: Avon and Somerset

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were employed by Avon and Somerset Constabulary of each (a) grade and (b) sex at the start of each year since 1997; and whether the appointment was (i) full- and (ii) part-time in each such case.

David Hanson: The available data are provided in the tables.
	This and other related data are published annually as part of the annual Police Service Strength Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest bulletin can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	and bulletins for this and previous years are deposited in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Police officer strength, by rank, in Avon and Somerset, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2009( 1, 2, 3) 
			   ACPO  Chief Superintendent( 4)  Superintendent( 4)  Chief Inspector 
			   Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total 
			 1997 (5)- (5)- 4 (6)- (6)- (6)- (5)- (5)- 29 (5)- (5)- 43 
			 1998 (5)- (5)- 3 (6)- (6)- (6)- (5)- (5)- 27 (5)- (5)- 39 
			 1999 (5)- (5)- 4 (6)- (6)- (6)- (5)- (5)- 23 (5)- (5)- 39 
			 2000 (5)- (5)- 3 (6)- (6)- (6)- (5)- (5)- 21 (5)- (5)- 37 
			 2001 (5)- (5)- 4 (6)- (6)- (6)- (5)- (5)- 20 (5)- (5)- 33 
			 2002 (5)- (5)- 3 (6)- (6)- (6)- (5)- (5)- 23 (5)- (5)- 34 
			 2003 4 0 4 14 0 14 10 0 10 37 1 38 
			 2004 4 0 4 15 0 15 14 0 14 36 3 39 
			 2005 5 0 5 11 0 11 17 0 17 38 3 41 
			 2006 5 0 5 12 0 12 19 0 19 40 2 42 
			 2007 4 0 4 12 1 13 21 0 21 46 1 47 
			 2008 5 0 5 13 0 13 18 2 20 48 1 49 
			 2009 6 0 6 11 1 12 21 1 22 50 1 51 
		
	
	
		
			   Inspector  Sergeant  Constable  Total 
			   Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total 
			 1997 (5)- (5)- 144 (5)- (5)- 454 (5)- (5)- 2,315 (5)- 25 2,989 
			 1998 (5)- (5)- 150 (5)- (5)- 449 (5)- (5)- 2,308 (5)- 39 2,976 
			 1999 (5)- (5)- 152 (5)- (5)- 452 (5)- (5)- 2,329 (5)- 57 2,999 
			 2000 (5)- (5)- 148 (5)- (5)- 441 (5)- (5)- 2,285 (5)- 72 2,934 
			 2001 (5)- (5)- 142 (5)- (5)- 441 (5)- (5)- 2,321 (5)- 73 2,960 
			 2002 (5)- (5)- 150 (5)- (5)- 457 (5)- (5)- 2,428 (5)- 93 3,096 
			 2003 158 2 160 475 8 483 2,399 90 2,489 3,097 101 3,198 
			 2004 170 0 170 481 13 494 2,618 107 2,725 3,338 123 3,461 
			 2005 165 0 165 486 16 502 2,586 120 2,706 3,308 139 3,447 
			 2006 158 0 158 478 16 494 2,635 130 2,765 3,347 148 3,495 
			 2007 160 0 160 512 22 534 2,561 148 2,709 3,316 172 3,488 
			 2008 171 0 171 495 22 517 2,537 156 2,693 3,287 181 3,468 
			 2009 174 1 175 485 24 509 2,470 181 2,651 3,217 209 3,426 
			 (1) Figures for 1997 to 2002 are not comparable with figures for 2003 to 2009. Figures for 1997 to 2002 exclude officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave, while figures for 2003 to 2009 include officers on maternity/paternity leave. The Police Numbers Task Force (2001) recommended that a clear presentation was made of the numbers of staff employed by police forces including those seconded into the force and those on any type of long or short term absence. These new calculations were first used in 2003, and are not comparable with data prior to March 2003. Total figures for 1997 to 2002 are shown as full-time equivalent (rounded to the nearest whole number), while total figures for 2003 to 2009 are shown as headcount.  (2) Full-time and part-time figures are shown as headcount.  (3) Part-time, full-time and headcount figures broken down by rank are not available for 1997 to 2002. Therefore total figures have been shown as full-time equivalent. Total part-time figures are available for this period.  (4) In 1997 to 2002 figures for Chief Superintendents and Superintendents were combined. These have been shown under Superintendent. For 2003 to 2009 these figures have been shown separately.  (5 )Not available.  (6) Not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police officer strength, by gender, in Avon and Somerset, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2009( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Male  Female  Total 
			   Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total 
			 1997 (4)- 1 2,622 (4)- 24 367 (4)- 25 2,989 
			 1998 (4)- 0 2,586 (4)- 39 390 (4)- 39 2,976 
			 1999 (4)- 1 2,588 (4)- 56 412 (4)- 57 2,999 
			 2000 (4)- 3 2,520 (4)- 69 414 (4)- 72 2,934 
			 2001 (4)- 1 2,530 (4)- 72 430 (4)- 73 2,960 
			 2002 (4)- 3 2,601 (4)- 90 495 (4)- 93 3,096 
			 2003 2,639 5 2,644 458 96 554 3,097 101 3,198 
			 2004 2,780 10 2,790 558 113 671 3,338 123 3,461 
			 2005 2,737 12 2,749 571 127 698 3,308 139 3,447 
			 2006 2,711 11 2,722 636 137 773 3,347 148 3,495 
			 2007 2,647 12 2,659 669 160 829 3,316 172 3,488 
			 2008 2,593 10 2,603 694 171 865 3,287 181 3,468 
			 2009 2,536 12 2,548 681 197 878 3,217 209 3,426 
			 (1) Figures for 1997 to 2002 are not comparable with figures for 2003 to 2009. Figures for 1997 to 2002 exclude officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave, while figures for 2003 to 2009 include officers on maternity/paternity leave. The Police Numbers Task Force (2001) recommended that a clear presentation was made of the numbers of staff employed by police forces including those seconded into the force and those on any type of long or short term absence. These new calculations were first used in 2003, and are not comparable with data prior to March 2003. Total figures for 1997 to 2002 are shown as full-time equivalent (rounded to the nearest whole number), while total figures for 2003 to 2009 are shown as headcount.  (2) Full-time and part-time figures are shown as headcount.  (3) Full-time and headcount figures broken down by gender are not available for 1997 to 2002. Therefore total figures have been shown as full-time equivalent.  (4) Not available.

Police: Pay

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) median and  (b) mean salary of a police constable in each constabulary was in (i) nominal and (ii) real terms in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: This information is not held centrally.

Police: Recruitment

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were recruited in each month of the last two years.

David Hanson: holding answer 26 February 2010
	The available data are provided in the table. Figures are not collated on a monthly basis. Therefore, quarterly figures have been provided.
	The total number of joiners on an annual basis and other related data are published annually as part of the annual Police Service Strength Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest bulletin can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	and bulletins for this and previous years are deposited in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Police officer joiners, England and Wales, 2007-08 and 2008-09 
			  Financial year  Quarter  Total 
			 2007-08 Q1 1,416 
			  Q2 1,921 
			  Q3 1,923 
			  Q4 2,721 
			  Total 7,981 
			
			 2008-09 Q1 1,960 
			  Q2 2,441 
			  Q3 2,175 
			  Q4 3,297 
			  Total 9,873 
			  Notes: 1. Quarterly figures are provisional and have not been verified by forces. 2. Figures include the following types of joiners: 'Standard Direct', 'Rejoining', 'Previously Special Constable' and 'Transfer'. 3. This table contains full-time equivalent figures for the 43 forces of England and Wales. They have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Reoffenders

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persistent and prolific offenders have been identified in  (a) total and  (b) each police force area in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is set out in the table. This shows the total number of offenders, by police force area, who were classified as prolific and other priority offenders in each of the years since the prolific and other priority offender programme was launched in September 2004. The table shows the total number of offenders who had been classified during each full 12-month period. Some offenders would have been classified as prolific and other priority offenders during the course of the years shown, and others de-classified during the years shown, in accordance with local selection and de-selection criteria. At any given time, the total number of offenders classified as prolific and other priority offenders across England and Wales is between 10,000 and 11,000 offenders.
	The published evaluation of the prolific and other priority offender programme in 2004 showed that the offenders first taken on to the programme in September and October 2004 reduced their convictions by 62 per cent. over their first 17 months on the programme.
	
		
			  Table: Number of prolific and other priority offenders 2005-06 to 2008-09 
			  Police force area  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 321 288 303 347 
			 Bedfordshire 141 170 168 140 
			 Cambridgeshire 120 115 209 206 
			 Cheshire 267 232 248 240 
			 City of London 11 14 20 18 
			 Cleveland 190 195 204 211 
			 Cumbria 88 102 102 111 
			 Derbyshire 641 468 447 426 
			 Devon and Cornwall 580 543 474 409 
			 Dorset 309 93 107 102 
			 Durham 91 82 116 123 
			 Dyfed Powys 134 110 100 109 
			 Essex 298 350 292 326 
			 Gloucestershire 114 133 137 147 
			 Greater Manchester 1,501 1,267 1,491 1,500 
			 Gwent 136 115 110 110 
			 Hampshire 318 362 425 407 
			 Hertfordshire 347 264 239 226 
			 Humberside 254 281 295 336 
			 Kent 779 666 561 371 
			 Lancashire 615 499 498 567 
			 Leicestershire 616 499 562 447 
			 Lincolnshire 221 321 175 125 
			 Merseyside 648 583 583 503 
			 Metropolitan police 1,542 1,487 1,525 1,408 
			 Norfolk 170 199 157 138 
			 North Wales 247 120 148 156 
			 North Yorkshire 129 112 143 135 
			 Northamptonshire 266 245 337 303 
			 Northumbria 311 276 342 308 
			 Nottinghamshire 750 815 874 788 
			 South Wales 277 253 298 396 
			 South Yorkshire 625 319 335 358 
			 Staffordshire 258 341 364 314 
			 Suffolk 214 209 190 174 
			 Surrey 553 293 247 215 
			 Sussex 542 528 528 499 
			 Thames Valley 507 509 467 423 
			 Warwickshire 108 119 132 142 
			 West Mercia 204 165 159 161 
			 West Midlands 1,036 991 1,043 986 
			 West Yorkshire 434 390 652 631 
			 Wiltshire 94 98 97 84 
			 Total number of PPOs 17,007 15,221 15,904 15,126

Terrorism

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Irish people extradited to the UK from the US were subsequently convicted of an offence related to terrorism in the last 30 years.

Meg Hillier: Neither the Home Office nor any other agency involved in the extradition process has extradition records dating back 30 years. From an inspection of surviving records, however-some of which go back to 1994-no trace can be found of any such cases.

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people under the age of 21 years have  (a) been stopped by the police whilst taking photographs and  (b) subsequently had photography equipment seized in connection with terrorism offences in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many people under the age of 21 years have been stopped by the police in connection with terrorism offences in the last five years.

David Hanson: The Home Office does not hold statistics which are recorded in this way. However, the Home Office does collate statistics on the number of terrorism arrests and convictions and these are included in a Bulletin published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The first edition of the Bulletin is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf
	The second issue of the Bulletin was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1809.pdf
	The third issue of this bulletin was published on 25 February 2010.

UK Border Agency

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals' files were recorded as temporarily lost by the UK Border Agency as of 1 January 2010.

Phil Woolas: By definition, the exact number of lost files cannot be known however the total number of the agency's case files which are not currently recorded with a clear location is less than 0.18 per cent. of the overall file holding.

UK Border Agency: Empty Property

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Monmouth of 7 January 2010,  Official Report, column 528W, on UK Border Agency: empty property, how many empty  (a) dwellings and  (b) business premises for which the UK Border Agency is responsible were empty in 2008-09.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) In 2008-09 the UK Border Agency had contracts with 18 suppliers providing accommodation for asylum seekers. The Agency only pay for asylum accommodation on a per person per night basis and do not have any liability for empty dwellings.
	 (b) In 2008-09 the Agency had in the region of 200 properties of which five were empty once occupation had ended or six if separate floors of one are counted individually. Of the six properties two leases have already ended, two will expire within the next three months and one has lease expiry in 18 months. Overall the Agency has benefited from reduced property, IT and productivity gains from rationalisation that outweigh the costs on these buildings.

Vetting: Radicalism

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions applications for employment in  (a) the Home Office,  (b) the Metropolitan Police,  (c) MI5 and  (d) MI6 have not passed vetting procedures due to (i) suspected al-Qaida sympathies and (ii) other suspected extremist views in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: The Home Office does not hold a central record of the number of applications for employment that have not passed beyond vetting procedures and it would be of disproportionate cost to assemble such a record.
	The Metropolitan Police is responsible for its own vetting, I understand that the Metropolitan Police do not hold a central record and that it would be of disproportionate cost to assemble such a record.
	In relation to the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), the policy of successive Governments is not to answer questions of detail about them.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Cold Weather Payments

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will take steps to reduce the time taken to make cold weather payments to  (a) recipients who use prepayment meters and  (b) other recipients of such payments.

Helen Goodman: The overwhelming majority of cold weather payments are paid automatically. When the Department for Work and Pensions is notified of a qualifying cold weather period a computer scan is run over the following weekend. Payments are made into customer's bank accounts on the following Wednesday. The only exception to this is where the Department is notified on a Friday. In these cases the scan will not be run on the weekend immediately following but will be picked up the next weekend. This is considered a reasonable period to prevent hardship.

Council Tax Benefits

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects to rename council tax benefit as council tax rebate.

Helen Goodman: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 652W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Joan Ryan).

Employment Tribunals Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment tribunals relating to her Department were held in each of the last five years; and what the cost to her Department was of such tribunals in each such year.

Jonathan R Shaw: Because employment litigation for the DWP is conducted both in-house and by agents acting on behalf of the Department, the information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Future Jobs Fund

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs have been created under the Future Jobs Fund by social enterprises.

Jim Knight: We have only collected details of the number of social enterprise jobs we have agreed to fund in September to November 2009, covering the first six months of funding. In this period we have agreed to fund 1,200 jobs in Social Enterprises through the Future Jobs Fund.

Leasehold: Service Charges

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what forms of financial support her Department offers to low income lease holders facing major works service charges; what criteria are used to assess eligibility for such support; and what the total monetary value was of such support granted to each local authority in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10 to date.

Helen Goodman: Leaseholders who are responsible for meeting major service charges under the terms of a long lease may receive assistance by way of Support for Mortgage Interest. Help may be provided towards certain service charges related to the fabric of the accommodation or towards the mortgage interest on a loan taken out to meet specific loans for repairs and improvements, provided they are entitled to an income related benefit such as income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment and support allowance and state pension credit.
	The total monetary value for service charges are not recorded on the Department's computer system in a way which allows the information requested to be readily made available.

Maximus Employment and Training UK: Employment

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the rate of employment has been among people undertaking programmes provided under contract to her Department by Maximus Employment and Training UK in Eastleigh since the inception of each such contract.

Jim Knight: Maximus Employment and Training UK has delivered progress2work provision in Eastleigh since 1 June 2009, on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. Progress2work is a service for people who are recovering from misusing drugs and can give the extra support needed to get back into work.
	Data are not made publicly available by individual provider, nor by individual location.

Miners: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding her Department has provided in assistance for ex-miners in Hemsworth constituency in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: The information requested is not available.

New Deal Schemes

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of  (a) primary contracted and  (b) sub-contracted employment support providers have withdrawn providing employment support services under the Flexible New Deal in each of the smallest geographical units for which figures are available since the programme's inception; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Since the Flexible New Deal Phase 1 contracts went live on 5 October 2009, none of the prime providers have withdrawn from delivery. In addition, the Department has not been informed of the withdrawal of any of their sub-contractors.

Occupational Pensions: Regulation

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the penalty regime for employers in the Pensions Act 2008 with the recommendations of the Hampton Review of Regulation.

Angela Eagle: The Government's development of the penalty regime for employers in the Pensions Act 2008 included a thorough assessment of its compatibility with the recommendations of Sir Philip Hampton's 2005 review, 'Reducing administrative burdens: effective inspection and enforcement'. Equal consideration was also given to the penalty principles set out by Professor Richard B. Macrory when building on Hampton's work specifically in the context of sanctions in his report 'Regulatory Justice: Making Sanctions Effective' (November 2006). We believe the regime of fixed and escalating penalties in the 2008 Act is fully compatible with the recommendations and principles of both the Hampton and Macrory reports.

Pensioners: Poverty

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent steps her Department has taken to eradicate pensioner poverty;
	(2)  what representations she has received on the establishment of a formal target for the eradication of pensioner poverty.

Angela Eagle: Our strategy since 1997 has been to target help on the poorest pensioners while providing a solid foundation of support for all.
	We have a good track record of reducing pensioner poverty. In 2007-08 there were 900,000 fewer pensioners in relative poverty than in 1998-99 (measured as below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income after housing costs). Today's pensioners are less likely to be living in relative poverty after housing costs than the population as a whole.
	In 1997, the poorest pensioners, who received Income Support, lived on around £69 a week (equivalent to £98 a week in today's prices). Today pension credit ensures that no pensioner needs to live on less than £130 a week or £198.45 a week for couples). This represents an increase in income by almost a third in real terms. And many of those on pension credit will also be entitled to additional support through housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	The Pension, Disability and Carers Service continue to promote take-up of benefits for those entitled. This involves data matching to identify entitled non-recipients, home visits for vulnerable customers, targeted local marketing and media campaigns, a simple claim process involving telephones as well as paper claims and ever closer working with partner organisations. The Department is also looking at innovative ways of using information that we already hold to make payments of pension credit more automatically to entitled non-recipients.
	In the Pensions Act 2007, we made a commitment to continue to uprate the pension credit standard minimum guarantee at least in line with average earnings over the long-term. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has commented that without this, it is likely there would be significant increases in pensioner poverty in the future.
	We have also made a commitment to re-link the uprating of the basic state pension to average earnings. Our objective, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, is to do this in 2012, but in any event by the end of the next Parliament at the latest. This will benefit almost 12 million pensioners.
	The Government use a basket of three key thresholds of income, after housing costs, to measure pensioner poverty. The most commonly used figures relate to those with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, after housing costs. However, the Department does not have a commitment to eradicate pensioner poverty in the same way it does for child poverty.
	The Work and Pensions Select Committee report on its inquiry into tackling pensioner poverty, which was published in July 2009, recommended that the Government should make its commitment to tackling pensioner poverty explicit and formally commit to eradicating pensioner poverty.
	After fully considering this recommendation we do not believe that establishing a formal target for the eradication of pensioner poverty would be the right approach. It is entirely right that the Government should commit itself to the eradication of child poverty, but the context for pensioners is not the same. Pensioners' incomes are affected by the work, caring and saving that they have undertaken during their working lives. The Government believe that this "something for something" contributory principle, whereby people are rewarded for their positive engagement with society during their lives is a critical component of our system of support for older people. Through our pension reform we are putting in place a framework which will enable people to build up a decent pension from the state and provide a foundation for further saving. We need to make sure that our policies balance cost, poverty alleviation and maintaining incentives to save.
	We believe that our reforms will achieve this balance and that our published Public Service Agreement, which explicitly commits to "Tackle poverty and to promote greater independence and well-being in later life", is the right framework for tackling pensioner poverty and we will continue to report progress against this indicator.

Pensioners: Poverty

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners resident in Coventry South constituency to have been lifted out of poverty since 1997;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners lifted out of poverty in the UK since 1997.

Angela Eagle: The Government use a basket of three key thresholds of income, after housing costs, to measure pensioner poverty. The most commonly used figures relate to those with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, after housing costs.
	Estimates of the number of pensioners who have been lifted out of poverty are not available, as each year different households are surveyed to produce low income statistics that are published in the Households Below Average Income series. However, information is available about the net change in the number of pensioners with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income.
	These figures only allow a breakdown of the overall numbers in poverty at Government Office Region level. Therefore, information is available for the West Midlands Government Office Region, but not available for the Coventry South constituency. Three-year averages are used to report regional statistics as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. Figures are quoted to the nearest 100,000.
	In the three-year period 1997-98 to 1999-2000 there were around 300,000 pensioners in the West Midlands with incomes below the 60 per cent contemporary median (equivalent to 28 per cent of pensioners in the region). The latest information relates to the period 2005-06 to 2007-08 in which there were around 200,000 pensioners in poverty (18 per cent).
	Since 1997-2000, there has been a reduction of around 100,000 pensioners in the West Midlands Government Office Region with incomes below 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income. This equates to a 10 percentage point reduction in pensioner poverty.
	At a national level, we do not need to use the three-year averages and can use the individual yearly figures. However, figures for 1997-98 cover Great Britain only, as Northern Ireland data did not become available until the following year.
	In 1997-98 there were around 2.9 million pensioners in poverty in Great Britain, which equates to around 29 per cent. of all pensioners. The 2007-08 UK figures show that around 2.0 million pensioners were in poverty, equating to around 18 per cent.
	Between 1997-98 and 2007-08 the number of pensioners with incomes below 60 per cent of the contemporary median income reduced by around 900,000.

Pensions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to paragraph 5.55 of Budget 2009, whether the 2.5 per cent. uprating of the basic state pension applies to recipients who deferred claiming their basic state pension at retirement age.

Angela Eagle: The proposed 2.5 per cent increase in the rate of the basic State Pension from April 2010 will not be applied to increments payable to those recipients who have deferred their State Pension. The Retail Prices Index showed that prices had fallen for the 12 months ending in September 2009. Given this evidence the Government have decided to maintain the value of increments at 2009-10 rates.
	People with increments who deferred their State Pension for at least one year since 2005 get a State Pension that is 10.4 per cent. higher than if they had not deferred. They will also benefit from the 2.5 per cent. increase in the basic State Pension announced at the pre-Budget report. We are writing to every individual in receipt of State Pension with an uprating notification which clearly states that, while basic State Pension is increasing by 2.5 per cent., increments and additional pension are not.
	In addition, the increase in the basic State Pension will be reflected in the value of increments being accrued by those who are currently deferring their State Pension.

Unemployment: Lone Parents

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents claimed jobseeker's allowance in each year since 1996.

Helen Goodman: From 24 November 2008, subject to certain exemptions and conditions, most lone parents with older children are no longer entitled to income support if they are only claiming it because they are a lone parent. Instead those able to work may claim jobseeker's allowance. These changes are being introduced for most lone parents in three stages. For those with a youngest child aged 12 or over, the change applies from 24 November 2008; for those with a youngest child aged 10 or over, from 26 October 2009; and for those with a youngest child aged seven, or over from 25 October 2010.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of lone parent claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Great Britain: April 2005-November 2009 
			   Number 
			 April 2005 6,985 
			 May 2005 6,930 
			 June 2005 6,995 
			 July 2005 7,090 
			 August 2005 7,135 
			 September 2005 7,230 
			 October 2005 7,045 
			 November 2005 7,100 
			 December 2005 7,170 
			 January 2006 7,790 
			 February 2006 8,010 
			 March 2006 8,050 
			 April 2006 7,780 
			 May 2006 7,860 
			 June 2006 7,900 
			 July 2006 7,825 
			 August 2006 7,855 
			 September 2006 8,150 
			 October 2006 7,915 
			 November 2006 7,810 
			 December 2006 7,705 
			 January 2007 7,885 
			 February 2007 7,985 
			 March 2007 7,975 
			 April 2007 7,790 
			 May 2007 7,580 
			 June 2007 7,565 
			 July 2007 7,540 
			 August 2007 7,570 
			 September 2007 7,585 
			 October 2007 7,105 
			 November 2007 6,510 
			 December 2007 6,105 
			 January 2008 6,415 
			 February 2008 6,625 
			 March 2008 6,850 
			 April 2008 7,180 
			 May 2008 7,260 
			 June 2008 7,530 
			 July 2008 7,770 
			 August 2008 8,445 
			 September 2008 8,915 
			 October 2008 9,365 
			 November 2008 10,385 
			 December 2008 12,225 
			 January 2009 14,660 
			 February 2009 17,670 
			 March 2009 21,095 
			 April 2009 25,965 
			 May 2009 30,830 
			 June 2009 33,000 
			 July 2009 34,835 
			 August 2009 40,775 
			 September 2009 45,425 
			 October 2009 48,040 
			 November 2009 50,265 
			  Notes: 1. Claimant Count: A monthly count of jobseeker's allowance claimants in Great Britain. Totals exclude non-computerised clerical claims. 2. Some jobseeker's allowance claimants have their marital status coded as "not known". Such claimants who are claiming child benefit for at least one child aged under 16 may be lone parents but are not recorded as such in the above table. 3. These volumes may be subject to retrospective changes as and when DWP receive updated child benefit data. 4. Identification of lone parents claiming JSA: The preferred source of numbers on JSA is the Claimant Count which is produced on a monthly basis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) via the NOMIS website: www.nomisweb.co.uk DWP are providing a breakdown of this headline number so we can identify the number of lone parents claiming JSA following the roll out of lone parent obligations. This is done using marital status information from the claimant count data alongside HMRC child benefit data. Specifically looking at whether a JSA claimant has their marital status recorded as "single"; "widowed"; "divorced" or "separated", and has an open child benefit claim for at least one child aged under 16, at the 'count date' (second Thursday of each month).  5. Data are not available prior to the introduction of these new statistics. Experimental statistics: The new statistics will be labelled as an 'experimental' breakdown to the National Statistic status JSA Claimant Count. This label will remain until we are confident that we have a stable methodology and we have given users a chance to comment on the statistics.  Source: ONS Claimant Count data and HMRC Child Benefit data.

Winter Fuel Payments: Aberdeenshire

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) households and  (b) individuals have received winter fuel payments in Banff and Buchan constituency since 1 November 2009.

Angela Eagle: Information on winter fuel payments in Banff and Buchan for winter 2008-09 (the last year for which information is available) is held in the House of Commons Library.

Winter Fuel Payments: Angus

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) households and  (b) individuals in Angus constituency have received a winter fuel payment since 1 November 2009.

Angela Eagle: Information on winter fuel payments in Angus for winter 2008-09 (the last year for which information is available) is held in the House of Commons Library.

Winter Fuel Payments: Dundee

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) households and  (b) individuals in the Dundee East constituency have received winter fuel payments since 1 November 2009.

Angela Eagle: Information on winter fuel payments in Dundee, East for winter 2008-09 (the last year for which information is available) is held in the House of Commons Library.

Winter Fuel Payments: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) households and  (b) individuals in each London borough have received winter fuel payments since 1 November 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Information on winter fuel payments in each London borough for winter 2008-09 (the last year for which information is available) is held in the House of Commons Library.

Winter Fuel Payments: Moray

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) households and  (b) individuals resident in Moray constituency have received winter fuel payments since 1 November 2009.

Angela Eagle: Information on winter fuel payments in Moray for winter 2008-09 (the last year for which information is available) is held in the House of Commons Library.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Online Gaming Industry

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the online betting and gaming industry to the economy.

Margaret Hodge: We have not made any formal assessment of the contribution of the online betting and gaming industry to the economy.
	However the Government do recognise the many ways in which the industry contributes to the UK economy through taxation, employment, sponsorship and consumer choice.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many receptions he has hosted for representatives of print and broadcast media since October 2008; how much each such reception cost; and how many people attended each such reception;
	(2)  how many receptions he plans to host for representatives of print and broadcast media in 2010.

Ben Bradshaw: I have held three receptions for journalists covering the Department's sectors since October 2008. The costs of these were £1,864.54, £1,251.25 and £1,431.70. Approximately 50 people attended each event.
	No receptions are currently planned, but will be considered over the course of the year as part of normal departmental business.

Gaming Machines: Taxation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he has plans to alter the tax arrangements which apply to stakes without prizes gaming machines.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has regular discussions with HM Treasury about a range of gambling issues. Plans relating to taxation are a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Horserace Totalisator Board

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made in preparations for the sale of the Tote; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are preparing for the sale of the Tote in line with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's announcement on 12 October 2009.
	The current intention is that a sale process would start in summer 2010 and be completed around March 2011.

ITV: Local Broadcasting

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had on ITV's proposals for regional news.

Ben Bradshaw: I have had a number of discussions with ITV and other interested organisations during the past year on the future of regional news on Channel 3 and the Government's policy objective to secure this news through independently funded news consortia.

Listed Events Review

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what account will be taken of the BBC Strategic Review in assessing the results of the consultation on the David Davies Review of Listed Events.

Ben Bradshaw: I will consider all relevant issues emerging from the consultation before reaching a final decision.

Listed Events Review

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2010,  Official Report, column 665W, on sports: television, whether he has plans to commission independent advice for the purposes of his economic impact assessment.

Ben Bradshaw: The evidence received in response to the Government's statutory consultation on Free-to-Air Listed Events will form the basis of an economic impact assessment. The Government are in the process of commissioning an independent economic consultancy to take forward this work.

Radio Frequencies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the frequency to be used by commercial radio stations following digital switchover; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: My Department has held two local radio summits with the commercial radio representative body, RadioCentre, and is in discussion with broadcasters from across the UK to consider the impact of Digital Radio Switchover on local commercial radio stations.

Scottish Television

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he has undertaken an assessment of the likely effects of reclassification of Scottish Television as an independent producer on the provision of public service broadcasting by the existing Scottish independent sector.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government recently undertook a public consultation exercise on the potential reclassification of production companies owned by Channel 3 licence holders. This included an assessment of the impact of the proposal, including the impact on the independent sector. The Government are currently assessing the responses to the consultation.

Sports: Young People

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the participation of young people in competitive sport.

Ben Bradshaw: The annual School Sport Survey has shown a steady rise in the number of young people taking up competitive sport since 2003.
	69 per cent. of pupils are now involved in intra-school competition compared to 22 per cent. in 2003/04; while 44 per cent. of pupils are now involved in inter-school competition compared to 33 per cent. in 2003/04.
	Competitive sport is central to our PE and Sport Strategy for Young People and will also be enshrined in law as universal access to regular competitive sport is part of our new Pupil Guarantee.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Legacy: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what legacy is expected for the west midlands and Coventry from the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: Coventry South, the West Midlands and the whole of the UK will benefit from the sporting, economic and social opportunities created by the 2012 Games.
	Three companies based in Coventry have secured contracts to supply goods or services within the London 2012 supply chain and 45 businesses registered in the West Midlands have won work supplying the Olympic Delivery Authority. 19 projects in the West Midlands have been awarded the Inspire Mark, for high-quality projects inspired by the Games.

Estimated Government Expenditure

Andrew Selous: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her most recent estimate is of Government expenditure on hosting the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The £9.325 billion funding package that I announced in March 2007 remains unchanged.
	The most recent estimate of the anticipated final cost was £7.262 billion, as reported in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Annual Report which was published in early February.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change: International Cooperation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Congleton of 7 January 2010,  Official Report, column 628W, on climate change: Copenhagen, what his most recent assessment is of the likelihood of effective global action to limit climate change; and if he will make a statement.  [Official Report, 4 March 2010, Vol. 506, c. 15-16MC.]

Joan Ruddock: Since Copenhagen, we have seen support for the Copenhagen Accord grow. As of 22 February 2010, 69 countries had listed targets/actions in the Accord to limit their greenhouse gas emissions. These countries account for nearly 90 per cent. of global emissions. This willingness of many countries to take substantial domestic action, demonstrates that-with ambition-the international community has the opportunity to come together to tackle dangerous climate change effectively.
	But there is still more to do. We must continue to encourage these countries to deliver the most ambitious end of their offers if we are to deliver our goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. And we will continue to campaign for countries to include these offers in a comprehensive legally binding treaty.

Departmental Energy

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Joan Ruddock: The Department supports Earth Hour. Both of our premises (in London and Aberdeen) will participate. We will also support Earth Hour through our website and social networking activities and will encourage staff to participate as individuals.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since its inception.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has commissioned one design for its website since inception. The design is that used by the Department's official corporate website which was launched on 23 February 2009:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many employees in his Department are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in his Department and its predecessors in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change was formed on the 3 October 2008. To date, no staff have been placed in transition prior to being managed out.

Departmental Public Relations

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what public relations companies have had contracts with  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible since his Department was established.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has had contracts with Munro and Forster in 2008-09 and with The Forster Company in 2009-10, both of whom worked on the ACT ON CO2 campaign.
	DECC also has a contract with Kreab Gavin Anderson to provide expert advice on the impact of proposed policy changes on renewable finance and investment prospects, as well as a range of briefing, seminars, meetings and wider awareness raising with investors and trade media, on developments in renewable energy policy.
	The Energy Saving Trust has had contracts with the following public relations companies: Positif Politics Ltd., Strategem and Weber Shandwick Public Affairs.
	The Carbon Trust has had contracts with the following public relations agencies: Fishburn Hedges PR, Octopus Communications and Brands2Life, as well as Golley Slater PR in Wales and Smarts PR in Scotland.

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days since its inception.

Joan Ruddock: The Department encourages a culture where good attendance is expected and valued. However, it recognises from time to time absences for medical reasons may be unavoidable. The Department aims to treat its staff who are ill with sympathy and fairness and where possible provide them with support which will enable them to recover their health and return to work.
	No staff have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days since the Department's inception in October 2008.

Departmental Travel

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost of international travel by Ministers and officials in his Department has been since May 2009.

Joan Ruddock: Since May 2009 a total of £588,743 was spent on international travel by Ministers and officials.

Electricity

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much electricity has been supplied to (a) Stroud district and  (b) Gloucestershire since 2003.

David Kidney: Annual electricity consumption statistics for Stroud and the Gloucestershire area are available for the years 2005 to 2008 and are shown in the following table. The statistics include both domestic and non-domestic consumption and, as they are supplied to DECC by electricity suppliers, they are therefore a measure of the electricity supplied from the national grid.
	
		
			   Annual electricity consumption (GWh) in: 
			   (a) Stroud  (b) Gloucestershire( 1) 
			 2005 563.6 3,207.7 
			 2006 586.8 3,301.3 
			 2007 578.1 3,212.8 
			 2008 569.7 3,144.0 
			 Total (2005-08) 2,298.3 12,865.9 
			 (1) Gloucestershire is defined here as comprising of the following local authorities: Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury. 
		
	
	Similar data are also available for 2003 and 2004. However there are methodological differences in the production of the datasets before 2005 and therefore the data for 2003 and 2004 are not directly comparable with the later datasets. The changes in methodology were recognised as improvements and as such the statistics from 2005 are classified as National Statistics. Details of all methodologies used to compile the statistics can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/regional/regional.aspx

Electricity: Prices

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what obligation electricity suppliers have to customers in respect of price when supplying electricity under Tariff B.

David Kidney: Setting of prices, including the level of differential between peak and off-peak charges on an Economy 7 type tariff, is a commercial decision for the company concerned. It is for Ofgem to consider whether pricing is appropriate, and it can take action if it decides that it is not.
	Gas and electricity suppliers currently have up to 65 working days to notify their customers that a price increase has taken place. We think it is unacceptable for customers to be informed of price rises so late. Ofgem has committed to consulting on the matter before Easter. We have also amended the Energy Bill during its passage through the House of Commons to include powers for the Government to set the period within which energy companies must inform customers of changes to their tariffs should Ofgem be unable to address the issue in a timely fashion.

Energy Saving Trust: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wealden of 8 December 2009,  Official Report, column 323W, on the Energy Saving Trust: advertising, how much the Energy Saving Trust spent on external public relations services in each of the last three years; and whether it has contracted the services of public affairs companies during that period.

Joan Ruddock: The EST have spent the following on external public relations services in each of the last three years and have contracted the services of public affairs companies during that period.
	
		
			   Total (£) 
			 2006-07 247,118 
			 2007-08 104,791 
			 2008-09 209,109

Government Departments: Carbon Emissions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide were offset by each member of the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund, according to outturn figures, in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09 in respect of (i) domestic, (ii) short haul and (iii) long haul flights.

Joan Ruddock: The total figures for the Government Carbon Offsetting Facility are available on the DECC website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/lc_uk/co2_offsetting/gov_offsetting/gov_data/gov_data.aspx
	The following table breaks these data down by domestic, short-haul and long-haul flights where DECC holds these data.
	Where the total number of certified emissions reductions (CERs) purchased is higher than the sum of the domestic, short-haul and long-haul flights data, this is due to offsetting of other travel such as rail and road travel. One CER is equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent.
	
		
			  Government Carbon Offsetting Facility-Phase I (April 2007 to March 2009): Purchases of Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) 
			   CERs purchased under GCOF I by domestic, short-haul and long-haul  Total CERs purchased 
			   Domestic  Short-haul  Long-haul
			  Public sector organisation  2007-08  2008-09( 1)  2007-08  2008-09( 1)  2007-08  2008-09( 1)  2007-08  2008-09( 1)  Total 
			 British-American Parliamentary Group (BAPG) - - - - 42.95 75.24 42.95 75.24 118.19 
			 Cabinet Office (including No. 10 Downing street; 2006-07 Figures also include figures for 2005-06) 50.85 (2)- 3,386.95 (2)- 914.27 (2)- 4,352.07 4,500.00 8,852.07 
			 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS) (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 190.00 190.00 380.00 
			 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) (including Energy section of DECC from 3 October 2008) 512.97 (2)- 1,280.94 (2)- 4,135.27 (2)- 5,929.17 5,200.00 11,129.17 
			 Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) 82.18 43.64 82.44 33.46 235.49 145.67 400.10 222.76 622.86 
			 Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) 27.34 20.01 135.96 101.20 72.58 146.88 235.88 268.08 503.96 
			 Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 350.00 350.00 700.00 
			 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) (including the Climate Change section of DECC from 3 October 2008 onwards) 1,001.14 (2)- 1,137.56 (2)- 1,928.22 (2)- 5,093.92 5,100.00 10,193.92 
			 Department for International Development (DFID) 677.28 705.25 1,796.76 681.10 15,619.98 20,659.02 18,145.10 22,123.38 40,268.48 
			 Department for Transport (DFT) 192.43 194.75 375.90 227.85 718.84 900.43 1,287.16 1,323.03 2,610.19 
			 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) 2,169.94 2,055.25 297.64 250.51 321.62 455.61 2,789.21 2,761.37 5,550.58 
			 Department of Health (DH) 114.71 (2)- 263.72 (2)- 539.77 (2)- 918.19 920.00 1,838.19 
			 Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) 1.06 (2)- 42.42 (2)- 134.20 (2)- 190.91 180.00 370.91 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) (for part of financial year 2007-08. 2006-07 was offset through a separate contract. The remainder of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 emissions will be offset through GCOF II) (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 26,598.89 (2)- 26,598.89 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) (3)- (3)- (3)- (3)- (3)- (3)- 1,969.80 2,125.00 4,094.80 
			 Greater London Authority (GLA) 2.43 - 35.37 11.06 210.32 202.08 248.12 213.14 461.26 
			 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) 3,827.49 5,186.53 862.96 646.59 902.78 1,139.42 5,593.23 6,972.54 12,565.77 
			 HM Treasury 435.01 (2)- 114.26 (2)- 339.57 (2)- 888.84 1,200.00 2,088.84 
			 Home Office 858.58 815.31 739.61 633.61 1,466.25 1,489.51 3,064.44 2,938.43 6,002.87 
			 House of Commons 291.02 310.02 490.81 296.46 991.17 999.82 1,773.00 1,606.31 3,379.31 
			 House of Lords 49.34 64.70 114.39 65.80 155.65 156.98 319.38 287.48 606.86 
			 Law Officer's Department (LOD) 17.59 49.12 180.98 82.11 390.65 769.34 589.21 900.56 1,489.77 
			 London Development Agency (LDA) (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 75.00 75.00 150.00 
			 Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) - 339.47 4,209.90 789.80 2,492.89 5,654.20 6,499.73 6,783.47 13,283.20 
			 Ministry of Defence (MOD) 411.13 673.32 3,667.64 4,042.19 12,794.58 19,591.30 16,873.35 24,306.82 41,180.17 
			 Ministry of Justice (MOJ) (including Department for Constitutional Affairs) 434.36 599.64 296.53 168.21 652.91 622.20 1,495.97 1,509.18 3,005.15 
			 Northern Ireland Office (NIO) 552.40 582.53 27.71 18.64 59.54 49.48 639.64 650.65 1,290.29 
			 Royal Household (RH) (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 5,452.47 4,688.00 10,140.47 
			 Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 151.36 151.36 302.72 
			 The Rent Service (TRS) - - - - - - - - - 
			 Transport for London (TFL) 15.13 4.38 316.24 165.91 540.67 463.35 872.04 633.65 1,505.69 
			 Valuation Office Agency (VOA) 18.60 50.15 2.83 2.19 11.97 30.08 33.40 82.42 115.82 
			  - - - - - - 113,062.53 98,337.87 211,400.40 
			 (1) Payments made for 2008-09 were based on estimates to be reconciled with actual data published as part of the SDiG report. Any remaining differences will be purchased through GCOF II. This explains the difference between figures in 2008-09 and those published for the Cabinet Office at: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/225313/cabinetoffice2009.pdf_p106 (2 )Only total purchase of CERs known. (3) No flights offset-only road travel.  Notes on why total CERs purchased are sometimes different to sum of domestic, short-haul and long-haul flight emissions: 1. DEFRA, ECGD and DFID have purchased CERs to offset road and rail travel as well as air travel. 2. MOJ data broken down for air travel where possible. Some agencies of MOJ have estimated totals. 3. MPS total less than sum of domestic, short-haul and long-haul flights due to use of separate emissions factors for total.

Government Departments: Carbon Emissions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which Departments  (a) are and  (b) are not on target to stay within their allocated carbon budget for 2009-10; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for which such budgets are likely to be exceeded.

Joan Ruddock: In common with UK carbon budgets, departmental carbon budgets are for five-year periods (2008-12, 2013-17 and 2018-22). We will be reporting on progress towards meeting the budgets in October in our response to the annual report from the Committee on Climate Change.

Housing: Energy

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to assist low income homeowners resident in properties without cavity walls to make their houses more energy efficient.

David Kidney: Since 2002, through the Government's flagship tool for delivering household energy and carbon savings, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and its predecessors, over 6 million households have been helped with insulation measures with almost three million of these in a priority group of vulnerable households. Between April 2008 and June 2009 over 22,000 households received solid wall insulation measures. We are currently revising some of the delivery schemes (principally CERT) to ensure that household insulation work continues at increased rates to reach the target by December 2011.
	The Department and National Energy Action (NEA) has begun a piloting exercise of external wall insulation for 100 park home properties. The pilot is expected to be completed in 2010. The pilot will assess the effectiveness of the insulation products against a variety of criteria, including cost of installation, energy savings and customer satisfaction.
	The Government's Household Energy Management strategy, to be published shortly, will discuss how we are to meet our ambitious energy efficiency targets, including the delivery of measures such a solid wall insulation, and the need to address delivery in a fair way that takes account of the needs of the vulnerable and fuel poor.

Microgeneration: Certification

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the inspection requirement for the purposes of accreditation by BRE under the microgeneration certification scheme is based on paperwork.

Joan Ruddock: The proportion of time spent on inspection requirements for the Microgeneration Certifications Scheme (MCS) installer scheme varies from assessment to assessment, depending on the level and standard of quality management systems already in place.
	BRE Global, along with other MCS certification bodies, look for evidence that an installer company meets MCS 001 which includes requirements to assess the Installation Quality Control (IQC). Written procedures, which need to be systematically followed in each installation, ensure that all MCS installations meet consistent standards.
	MCS installer standards also require a certification body, such as BRE, to inspect an installation, e.g. a small wind turbine, to determine the competency of the installer company.
	All the requirements of the MCS scheme for installer companies are set out at:
	http://www.microgenerationcertification.org/Product +Manufacturers+and+Installers/Installers

Microgeneration: Certification

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average cost to a microgeneration scheme installer of complying with the standards required by the microgeneration certification scheme.

Joan Ruddock: It is not possible to provide a meaningful average cost for MCS certification of installer companies, as the costs for installer companies to become certificated under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) are dependent on a number of factors.
	Costs for installer companies relate to the fixed rates of the certification body undertaking the assessment; the number of technologies being assessed; the cost of training requirements and the amount of work a company needs to do to put in place quality control procedures.
	There are additional costs relating to mandatory membership of an MCS consumer code which meets OFT requirements. There is also an annual MCS administration fee (£100). To ensure the ongoing robustness of the scheme and that standards are maintained, MCS installer companies are also subject to annual surveillance visits.
	The fees charged by MCS certification bodies are published on their respective websites. For contact details of all MCS certification bodies see:
	http://www.microgenerationcertification.org/Certification+Bodies

Stress

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the advice issued to staff of his Department on stress recognition and management.

Joan Ruddock: DECC is finalising its own HR policies including stress recognition and management. Once DECC's policy is finalised, a copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Stroud Transition Train Group: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding his Department has allocated to the Stroud Transition Train Group to date; over what period such funding has been provided and for what purpose; and what mechanism is in place for monitoring and evaluating its effectiveness.

Joan Ruddock: The Department does not fund Stroud Transition Train Group.

Uranium: Mining

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2010,  Official Report, column 620, on uranium: mining, which respondents' concerns over the impact of uranium mining abroad led to him seeking further information on the safety of uranium mining; from which organisations and sources he sought further information; whether the contract placed with Integrated Decision Management followed a competitive tendering process; and what qualifications Integrated Decision Management demonstrated to show suitability to provide technical advice on this matter.

David Kidney: All responses to the Government's consultation on the Nuclear Industry Association's application for the Regulatory Justification of new nuclear power station designs have been placed on the Department's website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/open/nuclear/nuclear.aspx
	The further consultation on my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's proposed decisions that the API000 and EPR nuclear power station designs are Justified under the terms of the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004 sets out the further information on the safety regime for uranium mining which he took into account.
	The placing of a contract with Integrated Decision Management followed a competitive tendering process in which they and their partners the National Nuclear Laboratory demonstrated the ability to supply specialist technical support to help with the Regulatory Justification process.

Warm Front Scheme

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the average waiting time for the installation of  (a) heating and  (b) insulation under the Warm Front Scheme in (i) Chesterfield constituency, (ii) Derbyshire and (iii) England in each year since the scheme's inception.

David Kidney: The following table provides information as to the average waiting time (in days) for the installation of  (a) heating and  (b) insulation measures under the Warm Front Scheme in (i) Chesterfield constituency, (ii) Derbyshire (iii) England in each year since eaga became the Scheme manager for this region.
	
		
			  Waiting times for heating measured in days 
			   Chesterfield  Derbyshire  England 
			 2005-06 - - 67.70 
			 2006-07 - - 74.48 
			 2007-08 - - 63.83 
			 2008-09 - - 57.24 
			 2009-10 34.26 35.20 44.72 
		
	
	
		
			  Waiting times for insulation measured in days 
			   Chesterfield  Derbyshire  England 
			 2005-06 - - 30.88 
			 2006-07 - - 29.46 
			 2007-08 - - 32.74 
			 2008-09 - - 23.34 
			 2009-10 10.76 13.21 17.37 
			  Note:  Waiting time data at a constituency and regional level is retained for 12 months only.

Warm Front Scheme: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been spent on the Warm Front programme in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each year since its inception; and what recent steps his Department has taken to (i) encourage take-up of energy efficiency measures and (ii) reduce the level of fuel poverty in Castle Point constituency.

David Kidney: The following table shows how much has been spent in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point through Warm Front under the present phase of the scheme which began in 2005.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Essex  Castle Point 
			 2005-06 2,000,189.00 177,491.43 
			 2006-07 6,182,784.13 598,284.01 
			 2007-08 9,468,843.84 1,276,872.33 
			 2008-09 12,165,333.14 1,695,775.39 
			 2009-10(1) 8,274,213.56 1,039,361.96 
			 Total 38,091,363.67 4,787,785.12 
			 (1 )Data run to 31 January 2010. 
		
	
	The Government have a strong package of measures to encourage the take-up of energy efficiency measures and help reduce fuel poverty among vulnerable households:
	The ACT ON CO2 campaign encourages energy efficiency in the home through the use of advertising (broadcast, online and press), digital media, outreach events, PR and partnerships with appropriate commercial organisations. Typically this promotion encourages a range of behaviours from simple actions like turning down thermostats, turning off electrical appliances fully and using energy efficient light bulbs to more substantial measures like loft and cavity wall insulation. The current burst of advertising on insulation launched on 11 January and will run to mid-March 2010.
	Schemes such as Warm Front, Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) and the Decent Homes Standard reduce the demand for energy by improving home energy efficiency.
	CERT requires energy suppliers to meet at least 40 per cent. of their obligation by promoting and installing measures in the homes of a priority group of vulnerable consumers in receipt of qualifying benefits or people aged over 70 years. Measures are only reported at a GB level and details for the work carried out in Essex and Castle Point are therefore not available.
	A regulatory framework has been introduced that: promotes competition as the main driver to ensure downward pressure on prices for consumers; improves licence conditions; and strengthens Ofgem's powers through the Energy Bill.
	Measures such as the winter fuel payments and cold weather payments-alongside the wider tax and benefit system and through benefit entitlement checks (BECs) under the Warm Front Scheme-have raised real incomes. Since 2005, Warm Front has carried out almost 900 BECs in Castle point, identifying eligibility for a previously unclaimed benefit in over 350 households-leading to an average increase of £31.09p in weekly income.
	We have also introduced legislation to implement mandated social price support schemes once the current voluntary agreement with suppliers comes to an end in 2011. These schemes will provide more of the most vulnerable consumers with help towards their energy costs. We have said that we are minded to focus the majority of the additional resources on older pensioner households on the lowest incomes as these households tend to have a high incidence of fuel poverty-over 50 per cent. of fuel poor households have a person over 60 living in them; their circumstances are relatively stable; and they are at the greatest risk of excess winter deaths.
	The fuel poverty review which was announced in January 2009, has been looking across all three drivers of fuel poverty (income, energy prices and energy efficiency) and particularly the key issue of how we can more effectively identify and target assistance at the most vulnerable households.

Warm Front Scheme: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications from residents of  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point for (i) heating, (ii) insulation and (iii) heating and insulation measures under the Warm Front scheme were approved in each of the last three years.

David Kidney: The following table provides information as to how many applications were approved in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point for (i) heating, (ii) insulation and (iii) heating and insulation measures under the Warm Front scheme for the previous three years and up to 31 January for the current year.
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1)  Total 
			  Essex  
			 Heating 1,442 1,806 1,848 1,814 7,863 
			 Insulation 3,209 3,454 4,069 1,814 14,476 
			 Heating and insulation 1,505 1,991 2,212 1,545 8,267 
			   
			  Castle Point  
			 Heating 166 268 205 213 923 
			 Insulation 451 312 281 186 1,332 
			 Heating and insulation 213 266 227 169 940 
			 (1) Up to 31 January 2010.

Warm Front Scheme: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point have received assistance under the Home Energy Efficiency scheme since the inception of that scheme.

David Kidney: The operating name of the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme in England is Warm Front.
	The following table shows how many households in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point have received assistance from Warm Front under the present phase of the Scheme (since 2005).
	
		
			   Essex  Castle Point 
			 2005-06 3,487 216 
			 2006-07 7,022 881 
			 2007-08 8,499 776 
			 2008-09 9,809 968 
			 2009-10(1) 6,399 693 
			 Total 35,216 3,534 
			 (1) Up to 31 January 2010. 
		
	
	Prior to 2005 these regions were under the control of a different Scheme Manager. The data retained by the present administrator are not sufficient to provide a consolidated response.

Wind Power

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total output of UK's off-shore wind turbines, expressed as a proportion of their load factor, was in each week in January 2010.

David Kidney: Total output figures for offshore wind are available only on an annual basis. The most recent data are for 2008, when offshore wind generation was 1,305 GWh. Data for wind generation as a whole, by major power producers, are collected monthly, with the latest data showing December 2009's generation as 572 GWh.
	Load factors are defined as the average hourly quantity of electricity supplied during the year, expressed as a percentage of the average output capability at the beginning and end of the year. As such, these are only calculated on an annual basis, with the latest data for 2008 showing a load factor of 34.9 per cent.

TREASURY

Banks

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has agreed any instrument or facility whereby an investment bank has been authorised to trade in the securitisation of future public revenues not otherwise reported to Parliament.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 24 February 2010
	No such agreement has been entered into by the Department.

Banks: Redundancy

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many jobs in each  (a) region and  (b) county have been lost in total in Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley since the Government acquired its stake in each;
	(2)  how many jobs in each  (a) region and  (b) county were lost in those banks in which UK Financial Investments Ltd. has a stake were lost in the last 12 months;
	(3)  how many jobs have been relocated offshore by Lloyds Banking Group in the period since the Government acquired its stake in the bank; and what discussions have taken place between  (a) his Department and  (b) UK Financial Investments Ltd. with Lloyds Banking Group on that matter.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government's investments in the Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, Northern Rock plc, Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc, and Bradford and Bingley plc are managed on a commercial and arm's-length basis by UK Financial Investments Limited.
	Decisions about business operations remain the responsibility of the directors of those banks. It is a matter for each company's management to release specific business updates or provide any required disclosures in their audited annual report and accounts.

Business: Government Assistance

Brian Binley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have used the HM Revenue and Customs Business Payment Support Scheme in the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: Since its introduction on 24 November 2008 the Business Payment Support Service ( BPSS ) has agreed around 292,000 Time To Pay arrangements (TTP ) in the UK with businesses to spread tax payments of about £5 billion over an agreed period.
	This has helped to support more than 160,000 businesses, the vast majority of whom are small and medium sized. Over 90 per cent. of the value of arrangements is being paid on time.
	Between 1 February 2009 and 31 January 2010, 229,000 TTP agreements were made with customers via the BPSS.

Child Benefit

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many young people there are with non-resident parents who are legal migrants to the UK and who claim child benefit.

Stephen Timms: For information on awards of child benefit in respect of children living in other member states, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) on 13 October 2009,  Official Report, column 787W.

Departmental ICT

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much  (a) his Department,  (b) HM Revenue and Customs,  (c) the Valuation Office Agency and  (d) his Department's other agencies spent on font licensing in the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Spending on font licensing in the last three years was £14,268 for HM Treasury, £240 for HM Revenue and Customs and nil for the Valuation Office Agency and Debt Management Office.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since 2005.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No designs for the Department's website have been commissioned since 2005.

Departmental Plants

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies has spent on pot plants in 2009-10.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information on spending in the current financial year will be available once the financial year has been completed and the Treasury's Resource Account has been audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Government Departments: Personal Records

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to implement a cross-government change of circumstances service and a cross-government identity management system.

Liam Byrne: Steps to implement a cross-government change of circumstances service and a cross-government identity management system were set out in the Government's document "Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government", page 24. This was published in December 2009 and is available at:
	www.hmg.gov.uk/frontlinefirst.aspx

Income Tax

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the collection rate of income tax was in  (a) Scotland and  (b) the UK in each year since 2007.

Stephen Timms: Collection rates are normally calculated as the amount collected as a proportion of the amount billed (or charged). The balance will be either still being collected or will have been written-off as a loss. The majority of income tax is either deducted at source (i.e. via PAYE) or self-assessed via income tax self assessment (ITSA), so is never actually billed or charged and as such a collection rate measurement is not appropriate.
	HM Revenue and Customs does publish figures on revenue losses in its Trust Statement which form part of its published accounts, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm

Inheritance Tax: Castle Point

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue accrued to the Exchequer from inheritance tax on estates in Castle Point constituency in the last five years.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimate that around £400 million was received in inheritance tax receipts for the Government office region of east of England in 2007-08.
	Information for other years or at a sub-regional level is currently available only at disproportionate cost because:
	Inheritance tax data are based on a UK wide sample of cases which is designed to produce national level figures. The size of the sample means that HMRC cannot currently reliably estimate the number of taxpayers below a regional level; and
	Postcodes are frequently missing from inheritance tax returns, and while the completion rate has improved to the point where analysis of the tax receipts on a regional basis can be carried out for 2007-08 this is not possible for earlier years.

Inheritance Tax: Na h-Eileanan an Iar

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue accrued to the Exchequer from inheritance tax on estates in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency in the last five years.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs' Inheritance Tax receipts from Scotland are published by the Scottish Executive in Table 4.2 of their Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report, available at:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/18101733/6
	Information for other years or at a sub-regional level is currently available only at disproportionate cost because:
	Inheritance tax data are based on a UK wide sample of cases which is designed to produce national level figures. The size of the sample means that HMRC cannot currently reliably estimate the number of taxpayers below a regional level; and
	Postcodes are frequently missing from inheritance tax returns, and while the completion rate has improved to the point where analysis of the tax receipts on a regional basis can be carried out for 2007-08 this is not possible for earlier years.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letter of 18 December 2009 from the hon. Member for Billericay on his constituent Mrs Dunne.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 23 February 2010.

Mortgages

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 11 January 2009,  Official Report, column 709W, on mortgages, what assessment has been made of the effect of the European Commission proposals on  (a) the level of access by first time buyers to mortgages and  (b) the maximum loan to value mortgage permitted for residential mortgages.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Tripartite Authorities continue to engage in European proposals concerning mortgage markets and are themselves exploring changes to mortgage regulation at a UK level. The FSA issued a Discussion Paper in October 2009 reviewing the current regulations. Chapter 3 discusses prudential measures, and Chapter 4 considers product regulation. The paper is available online at:
	www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/discussion/dp09_03.pdf

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many applications have been made to the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme in 2010;
	(2)  how many homeowners are participating in the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	For management information on Homeowners Mortgage Support I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many homeowners in Dundee East constituency are in receipt of assistance under the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	For management information on Homeowners Mortgage Support I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W. This information is not monitored at constituency level.

Public Sector: Construction

Terry Rooney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps the Office of Government Commerce is taking  (a) to monitor compliance by public sector construction clients with the Common Minimum Standards,  (b) to ensure that supply team workforces have Construction Skills Certification Scheme cards and  (c) to exclude from tendering companies which are not compliant with the Construction Skills Certification Scheme;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of public sector construction clients who do not  (a) adhere to the Common Minimum Standards and  (b) by contract require their contractors to ensure that their employees have Construction Skills Certification Scheme cards.

Ian Pearson: The Common Minimum Standards (CMS) summarise Government policy affecting the procurement of built environments. Government do not centrally monitor procuring organisations' implementation of that policy. One of the standards is for clients to include a contract clause requiring individuals in their supply teams to be registered on the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), a trade body run by CSCS Ltd., or to be able to prove their competence in some other appropriate way.
	CSCS is managed under contract by CITB-ConstructionSkilis, a sector skills body. The rules and scheme criteria are set by the scheme's owners and Government have no involvement.

Revenue and Customs

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the objectives are of the  (a) pensions simplification,  (b) tax credits,  (c) taxpayer understanding,  (d) web convergence,  (e) integrated customer management,  (f) data quality and  (g) customer foundations change and improvement programme under HM Revenue and Customs' Departmental Transformation Programme.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is as follows:
	 Pensions Simplification
	This programme was part of the Government's agenda to reform pensions to encourage more people to save for their retirement, and to reduce the compliance costs of the pensions industry. The programme successfully delivered an online service in two phases. The first was completed in April 2006 and provided online registration for new pension schemes. The second, in April 2007, delivered an online service to file pension scheme returns.
	 Tax Credits
	This programme was established to deliver targeted service improvements, to help customers get their claim right and improve the customer experience. It is still in progress.
	 Taxpayer Understanding
	This was a research project to gain a detailed understanding of customer behaviour. This programme was originally a strand from the Customer Foundations programme and closed in March 2008.
	 Web Convergence
	This programme was developed to transform the Department's website to converge content with the cross-Government portals, Directgov and Businesslink. The Businesslink Convergence programme is still in progress, and due to complete by April 2011.
	 Integrated Customer Management
	This programme was designed to deliver services and processes structured around the customer to improve efficiency, compliance and the customer experience; it was closed in February 2007.
	 Data Quality
	This programme was designed to improve data integrity and facilitate the merger of data in legacy systems; it was closed in March 2007.
	 Customer Foundations Change and Improvement (also known as Customer Foundations)
	This programme was developed to help drive organisational and operational change, to deliver transformed services to customers, reduce cost and improve compliance. The programme ran from October 2006 and closed in March 2007.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) staff and  (b) consultants were employed in each business unit of HM Revenue and Customs in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) 2008.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is in the following table.
	HM Revenue and Customs' reorganisation of its business units and transfers of staff and responsibilities between units means that staff numbers over a period may not be directly comparable.
	
		
			   2006  2007  2008 
			  Directorate  Headcount  Full-time equivalent  Headcount  Full-time equivalent  Headcount  Full-time equivalent 
			 Adjudicator's Office 40 39.33 42 41.42 41 40.44 
			 Anti-Avoidance Group 117 114.33 110 107.04 116 112.30 
			 Benefits and Credits 67 65.52 100 98.33 - - 
			 Benefits and Credits-Delivery - - - - 7,100 6,361.97 
			 Benefits and Credits-Product and Process - - - - 104 102.49 
			 Business 89 86.85 214 207.01 225 218.09 
			 Central Compliance 31 31.00 40 39.64 304 292.18 
			 Central Policy 207 200.77 164 157.40 159 152.66 
			 Charity, Assets and Residence 2,017 1,902.01 1,952 1,832.91 1,899 1,775.18 
			 Commercial Directorate 148 141.79 163 156.06 136 130.20 
			 Communications and Marketing 180 174.56 190 184.14 233 224.68 
			 Corporate Shared Services - - - - 1,675 1,566.74 
			 Corporation Tax and VAT 323 309.53 335 322.03 345 329.98 
			 Criminal Investigation 1,635 1,600.51 1,860 1,817.53 1,856 1,810.45 
			 Customer Contact 11,507 10,664.37 13,217 12,294.18 12,586 11,766.70 
			 Customs and International 283 271.60 296 284.86 310 297.27 
			 Debt Management and Banking 10,304 9,316.74 9,668 8,683.12 8,777 7,874.11 
			 Departmental Transformation Programme and Capability Review - - - - 58 56.44 
			 Detection 4,445 4,335.50 4,633 4,513.80 4,586 4,459.87 
			 Estates and Support Services 3,361 3,186.55 2,852 2,687.78 2,249 2,125.79 
			 Excise and Stamp Taxes 335 322.06 289 275.96 - - 
			 Excise, Stamp and Money Businesses - - - - 319 305.01 
			 Finance - - - - 423 395.02 
			 Finance and Internal Audit 1,167 1,081.92 1,015 930.58 - - 
			 Governance and Security - - - - 225 217.85 
			 HR and Learning 2,139 2,021.16 1,827 1,728.32 - - 
			 Individuals - - - - 87 85.52 
			 Individuals Customer Unit 30 29.34 39 38.53 - - 
			 Information Management Solutions 1,997 1,912.13 1,743 1,678.96 1,499 1,443.98 
			 Internal Audit - - - - 149 145.40 
			 Knowledge, Analysis and intelligence 718 688.00 642 612.88 581 552^88 
			 Large Business Service 1,875 1,826.31 1,814 1,759.79 1,761 1,704.02 
			 Legal and Governance 422 404.90 529 507.68 - - 
			 Local Compliance 17,807 16,777.31 16,062 15,089.48 15,429 14,461.50 
			 National Processing 12,369 10,839.48 10,991 9,713.55 - - 
			 National Teams and Special Civil Investigations 2,937 2,790.52 3,713 3,531.57 2,024 1,948.15 
			 Organisational Development 61 59.11 46 44.81 - - 
			 Pacesetter - - - - 15 14.75 
			 PAYE and SA Processing 19,134 16,967.30 17,205 15,100.49 20,781 18,228.92 
			 PAYE, SA and NIC 334 323.86 388 373.17 350 335.65 
			 People Function - - - - 286 274.88 
			 Risk and Intelligence 4,569 4,318.36 4,296 4,049.72 3,833 3,598.25 
			 Security and Business Continuity 77 73.31 71 67.81 - - 
			 Solicitor's Office - - - - 387 367.01 
			 Strategy Unit 9 9.00 4 4.00 - - 
			 Workforce Change - - - - 53 51.51 
			 Total 100,734 92,885.05 96,510 88,934.55 90,961 83,827.84 
		
	
	Information on the number of individual consultants employed is not held centrally by the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs: Standards

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what accuracy statistics are recorded by the HM Revenue and Customs Quality Monitoring Exercise each month;
	(2)  what accuracy statistics his Department's Quality Monitoring Exercise records each month.

Stephen Timms: The following accuracy statistics are collated internally by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on a monthly basis as part of the quality monitoring exercise in relation to self assessment.
	Sample checks are made:
	to record whether the self assessment return has been correctly recorded on the Department's systems on the right date and on the right record;
	to establish that the tax bill is correct, that any necessary corrections have been made and any repayment has been made in the right amount to the right person at the right address;
	to establish that any claims to adjust payments on account have been processed accurately and on time;
	that any balancing payments have been correctly dealt with;
	to establish that the code number for the current year and subsequent year is correct;
	to ensure the Department's procedures have been followed to correct obvious errors; and
	that the Department's systems have been updated with any changes reflected in the return.
	The following accuracy statistics are collated internally by HMRC as part of the quality monitoring exercise in relation to pay-as-you-earn.
	Sample checks are made to record whether:
	the code number for the current year and subsequent year is correct;
	the liability reviewed for any earlier year is correct;
	any tax calculation issued is correct;
	any payable order has been issued in the correct amount and issued to the right person at the right address; and
	the Department's systems accurately reflect known taxpayer details.

State Retirement Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 1929W, on state retirement pensions, how many  (a) men and  (b) women who reached state pension age between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2009 have taken up the option of buying back one or more years of class 3 national insurance contributions under the measures contained in the Pensions Act 2008 to date; and how much has been paid back in contributions by such individuals to date.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information request is provided in the table:
	
		
			   Total  NI contributions (£) 
			 Men 130 217,900 
			 Women 893 1,492,741

Tax Allowances

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of  (a) the revenue to be raised consequent upon the withdrawal of personal allowances on incomes between £100,000 and £112,950 and  (b) the number of taxpayers who will be affected by this change.

Stephen Timms: The Exchequer effect of the announced changes can be found in the Budget Report 2009 in 'Table 1.2 Budget 2009 policy decisions' and in 'Table A2 Other measures announced since Budget 2008'.
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/Budget2009/bud09_chapter1_237.pdf
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/bud09_chaptera_307.pdf
	The announced changes are expected to affect the top 2 per cent. of tax payers in 2010-11.

Taxation: Gambling

John Greenway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much betting tax was paid by  (a) gambling operators and  (b) the National Lottery in each of the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information about betting and gaming taxes revenue collected by HMRC is available at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bullbett
	The following table shows figures for revenue collected from betting duty in each of the last three years:
	
		
			  £  000 
			   Total  b etting 
			 2007 418,459 
			 2008 412,098 
			 2009 353,347 
		
	
	Lottery Duty applies to lottery operators and is not a betting tax.

VAT

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effects on small and medium-sized enterprises of increasing the value added tax registration threshold to £200,000; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The UK has one of the highest VAT registration thresholds in the European Union. Under existing agreements any increase is limited to maintaining the value of the threshold in real terms.
	Changing the registration threshold to £200,000 would have significant effects on competition between registered and unregistered businesses, on burdens on businesses and HM Revenue and Customs and on revenues.

VAT: Alcoholic Drinks

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to prevent value added tax being reclaimed by retailers in relation to loss-leading on marketing promotions of alcohol products.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 26 February 2010
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 3 February 2010,  Official Report, column 371W. Businesses are entitled to reclaim the value added tax on costs that relate to their business activities. There are therefore no grounds on which to take steps to prevent value added tax being reclaimed by retailers in relation to marketing promotions of alcohol products, even if those are loss leading within the wider context of their business activities.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many homeowners are in receipt of assistance under the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	For management information on Homeowners Mortgage Support I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W.

JUSTICE

Crime: Convictions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 488-89W, on crime: convictions, what the equivalent figures are for each year between 1997 and 2006.

Claire Ward: The available information from 1997 to 2008 (latest available), is shown in tables 1 to 15 which have been placed in the Library of the House.
	The Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Specific information on the circumstances of an offence are not held centrally and it is therefore not possible to identify whether an offence arising from tackling an intruder occurred in a residential or retail property.
	Cautions and court proceedings data for 2009 are planned to be published in the autumn, 2010.

Custodial Treatment

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in receipt of a custodial sentence for  (a) sexual offences,  (b) murder and  (c) offences related to terrorism are absent without authorisation from prisons.

Maria Eagle: There are three main types of unapproved absence: (a) escapes, which involve a prisoner absenting himself from prison custody without lawful authority by overcoming a physical security restraint such as fences, locks, bolts and bars, a secure vehicle or handcuffs; (b) absconds, where a prisoner absents himself from prison custody without lawful authority and without overcoming physical security restraints (usually from open prisons); and, (c) recalls from temporary release licence following breach before being taken into police or prison custody. Additionally a small number of releases in error occur as a result of administrative error.
	The following table shows a breakdown of prisoners with  (a) sexual offences,  (b) murder and  (c) offences related to terrorism who are still absent without authorisation from prisons from 1 April 2004 until 31 March 2009.
	
		
			  Breakdown of prisoners by main index offence who are absent from prisons without authorisation since 1 April 2004 until 31 March 2009 
			  Type of absence  Sexual offence  Murder  Offence related to terrorism 
			 Escape 0 0 0 
			 Abscond 0 2 0 
			 Temporary release recall 0 1 0 
			 Release in error(1) 0 0 0 
			 (1 )Release in error data available only from 1 January 2005. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	There is no category of "offence related to terrorism" but we have interpreted it as referring to those convicted of offences under terrorism legislation, or those convicted of other offences (e.g. conspiracy to murder, or explosives-related offences) where the police and prosecution are satisfied that the acts related to terrorism and have prosecuted the case as such.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many designs for its website his Department and its predecessor have commissioned since 2005.

Michael Wills: Two designs have been commissioned for the Ministry of Justice website in the period since 2005:
	www.justice.gov.uk
	The first design was the creation of the first Ministry of Justice website in May 2007, and the second was a refresh, delivered in April 2009.
	For further details regarding both designs I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies) on 13 January 2010,  Official Report, column 1010W and the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 23 April 2008,  Official Report, column 2111W.

Explosives: Crimes of Violence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people have been convicted for possessing explosives with intent to cause violence in England and Wales in each year since 1998;
	(2)  how many people have been convicted of possessing explosives without a valid certificate or licence in England and Wales in each year since 1998.

Claire Ward: The number of persons found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for offences relating to possession of explosives with intent to endanger life is given in the following table from 1998 to 2008 (latest available).
	Convictions for offences of possessing explosives without a valid licence are part of a miscellaneous group of Explosives Acts offences, including the 1875 and 1923 Acts, which cannot be separately analysed. For information, defendants found guilty for offences within this miscellaneous group are given in the table.
	Data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.
	
		
			  The number of persons found guilty at all courts for selected explosives offences, England and Wales, 1998 to 2008( 1,2) 
			  Offence description  Statute  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008( 3) 
			 Possession etc. of explosives with intent to endanger life Explosives Substances  Act 1883-section 3 (in part) 2 - - - 7 4 - 1 4 6 3 
			 Offences against Explosives Acts; Offences against orders made under the Emergency Laws; Offences against restrictions relating to the manufacture of fireworks Explosives Acts 1875 and 1923 (except S.80 of the Explosives Act 1875) and Orders in Council and Rules thereunder; Orders made under the Emergency Laws (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1953-S.3; Fireworks Act 1951-SS.1(4), 2(5), 5(4) and 6 13 14 8 4 13 7 19 15 4 2 - 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3) Excludes convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008.   Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Firearms and Drugs: Crime

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people attempting to enter the UK were convicted of offences related to the importation and possession of  (a) firearms and  (b) drugs in each year since 1998; and how many of these offenders received the maximum prison sentence or highest fine applicable in each year.

Claire Ward: The number of persons found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for offences of attempting to enter the UK, from 1998 to 2008 (latest available) is given in the table.
	Data given in the table are on the principle offence basis which relates to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. For example, when a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	The Court Proceedings Database holds information in relation to the offence as stipulated by law. From this information it is not possible to ascertain at what point an offence was committed. It is therefore not possible to separately identify those offences that were committed at the time of attempting to enter the UK.
	Data for 2009 are planned for publication in autumn, 2010.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences of attempting to enter the UK, England and Wales, 1998 to 2008( 1,2,3) 
			  Offence   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Entering UK in breach of deportation order Proceeded against 5 6 2 2 8 10 7 9 7 10 13 
			  Found guilty 4 5 2 1 7 7 7 6 7 6 11 
			  
			 Entering UK without leave Proceeded against 16 17 19 31 46 51 30 43 75 42 7 
			  Found guilty 7 15 14 24 36 39 24 33 63 26 7 
			  
			 Total Proceeded against 21 23 21 33 54 61 37 52 82 52 20 
			  Found guilty 11 20 16 25 43 46 31 39 70 32 18 
			 (1) Statistics given are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

HM Courts Service: Debt Collection

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court enforcement officers HM Courts Service employed in each quarter since January 2005.

Bridget Prentice: Currently the total number of civilian enforcement officers (CEOs) employed by HMCS is 497. HMCS are unable to provide the number of CEOs employed in previous years' quarters without incurring a disproportionate cost as the specific information relating to CEOs cannot easily be extracted from information held on total numbers of employees.

Human Trafficking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of offences related to  (a) drug trafficking,  (b) people trafficking,  (c) firearm trafficking and  (d) wildlife crimes committed while attempting to enter the UK in each year since 1998.

Claire Ward: The number of persons found guilty at all courts for offences related to drug trafficking, people trafficking, firearm trafficking and endangered species trafficking, England and Wales, 1998 to 2008 (latest available) is shown in the following table. Information available centrally through the Court Proceedings Database holds information in relation to the offence as stipulated by law. From this information it is not possible to ascertain at what point an offence was committed.
	Data for offences under the 'Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997' are part of a miscellaneous group of offences for which 2008 data are not yet separately available. I will write to the hon. Member when these data become available.
	Data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences related to drugs trafficking, people trafficking, firearms trafficking, and endangered species trafficking, England and Wales, from 1998 to 2008( 1,2,3) 
			  Offence description  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008( 1) 
			 Unlawful importation of a drug controlled under misuse of Drugs Act 1971 1,190 1,171 1,165 1,648 1,599 1,063 975 1,026 835 783 745 
			 Unlawful exportation of a drug controlled under misuse of Drugs Act 1971 59 25 40 30 21 18 37 35 35 36 31 
			 Production of or being concerned in the production of a controlled drug. 1,779 1,477 1,175 952 1,114 1,657 1,379 1,360 1,480 2,120 2,627 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply. 5,549 5,069 4,607 4,405 4,452 4,834 4,887 5,097 5,062 5,499 6,443 
			 Supplying or offering to supply (or being concerned in supplying or offering to supply) a controlled drug. 3,819 3,717 3,341 3,214 3,300 3,461 3,619 3,707 3,499 3,507 3,940 
			 Having a controlled drug in possession on a ship; Being knowingly concerned in the carrying or concealing of a controlled drug on a ship. 16 1 1 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 
			 Concealing or transferring the proceeds of drug trafficking; Assisting another person to retain the benefit of drug trafficking; Acquisition, possession or Use of proceeds of drug trafficking. 16 30 26 42 38 49 27 20 6 7 6 
			 Sub-total drugs trafficking offences(4) 12,428 11,490 10,355 10,297 10,525 11,083 10,925 11,246 10,918 11,953 13,792 
			 
			 Arranging or facilitating arrival of a person into the UK for sexual exploitation (trafficking) * * * * * * - 9 6 9 11 
			 Trafficking people into the UK for the purpose of exploitation * * * * * * - - 3 - - 
			 Sub-total people trafficking offences(5) * * * * * * - 9 9 9 11 
			 
			 Offence in relation to the unlawful importation of any weapon or ammunition of a kind mentioned in s.5(1)(a), (ab), (aba), (ac), (ad), (ae), (af) or (c) of the Firearms Act 1968. - - - - - - - 4 2 2 3 
			 Sub-total firearms trafficking offences(6) - - - - - - - 4 2 2 3 
			 
			 Offences under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997 - - 6 6 3 2 3 - 10 - (7)n/a 
			 Sub-total endangered species trafficking offences - - 6 6 3 2 3 - 10 - (7)n/a 
			 (1) Excludes convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Includes offences under statutes: Customs and Excise Management Act 1979; Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 1990; Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. (5) Includes offences under statutes: Sexual Offences Act 2003, sections 57 & 58; Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004, section 4(1) & (5). (6) Includes offences under statute: Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, section 50(1)(2)(3)(4) & (5A). (7) Offences under the 'Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997' form part of a miscellaneous group of offences for which 2008 data are not yet separately available.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Human Trafficking: Victims

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms are in place to ensure that first responder agencies in human trafficking cases have access to the assistance for victims as required under Article 12 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

Claire Ward: Article 12 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings requires that the assistance measures detailed in its sections (1) and (2) are provided to individuals identified as victims to a 'reasonable grounds' standard of proof. Access to this type of assistance is therefore provided to identified victims of trafficking through support providers.
	From 2003 to 2009 the Government invested £5.8 million in the POPPY Project to provide specialist accommodation and support to victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation. A further investment of £3.9 million over the current and next financial year funds specialist accommodation and support for victims of all forms of human trafficking.
	To assist in the identification of potential victims of human trafficking and to ensure that they receive the best possible treatment from the outset, the Office for Criminal Justice Reform has published a new toolkit, which provides advice and support to frontline practitioners who may come into contact with victims.

Juries

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people have been required for jury service  (a) nationally and  (b) in each London borough in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many people have been summoned for jury service  (a) nationally and  (b) in each London borough in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many people summoned for jury service were disqualified for each reason  (a) nationally and  (b) in each London borough in each of the last 10 years;
	(4)  how many people have been summoned for jury service  (a) once,  (b) twice,  (c) three and  (d) four times (i) nationally and (ii) in each London borough in each of the last 10 years;
	(5)  how many people of those summoned have declined to carry out their jury service for each reason  (a) nationally and  (b) in each London borough in each of the last 10 years.

Bridget Prentice: The following table shows, on a national level basis for each calendar year from 2000 to 2008, the following:
	(a) how many people have been required for jury service
	(b) how many people have been supplied to the court for jury service
	(c) how many people have been deferred from the original date they were summoned for jury service
	(d) how many people have been excused from jury service
	(e) how many people have been disqualified from jury service.
	Information for each London borough is not held centrally as the data cannot be extracted in this way by the computer system.
	The Ministry of Justice are also unable to provide information on how many people have been summoned for jury service more than once. This is because jurors are selected on a completely random basis using the electoral voting registers supplied annually by each local authority. As the electoral registers are updated annually and due to the randomness of jury selection there is potential for some members of the public to be called for jury service more than once while some may never be called.
	Members of the public summoned for jury service cannot decline to carry out jury service. However, a juror can apply to defer their jury service to a more suitable date within the forthcoming 12-month period if the original date is not convenient. Jurors can apply to be excused from jury service but their application must show good cause why they should be excused from attending.
	
		
			  Calendar year end 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Total number of summons issues 79,115 579,473 492,561 461,980 431,432 388,154 390,671 412,666 416,689 
			 Total number of jurors supplied to the court 24,907 187,080 197,599 184,833 187,114 185,193 181,966 182,661 183,506 
			   
			 Deferred to serve at a later date 8,860 61,435 59,786 59,528 65,754 63,741 61,254 66,174 66,806 
			 Number refused deferral 22 214 297 340 288 286 172 122 103 
			   
			  Excused  
			 by right having served in past two years 4,700 32,368 29,120 28,247 14,887 4,333 4,277 4,518 4,244 
			 child care 3,410 27,685 26,281 24,327 19,497 15,741 15,690 16,118 15,711 
			 work commitments 2,781 26,640 25,628 19,373 14,961 14,419 15,998 16,428 16,857 
			 medical 5,650 44,435 40,982 35,061 34,016 32,239 30,332 32,416 31,289 
			 travel difficulties 186 2,394 1,811 1,110 813 672 720 651 690 
			 student 736 5,468 5,899 3,979 2,438 2,150 2,209 2,273 2,429 
			 moved from area 1,549 11,073 6,254 3,419 2,498 2,181 2,454 2,988 2,543 
			 language difficulties 849 5,921 5,928 5,260 4,975 4,081 4,030 4,406 4,165 
			 other 2,521 20,678 22,354 22,400 23,103 21,658 24,126 27,784 30,606 
			   
			 All excused 22,382 176,662 164,257 143,176 117,188 97,474 99,836 107,582 108,534 
			 Number refused excusal 421 2,494 1,927 3,453 4,344 3,585 2,053 1,641 1,515 
			   
			 Disqualified-residency, mental disorders, criminality 15,248 118,339 105,314 98,045 89,112 77,364 85,061 94,171 96,325 
			 Disqualified-on selection 5,989 48,271 59,892 58,830 55,410 49,765 53,031 58,900 59,017 
			 Disqualified-failed Police National Computer (PNC) check 0 69 160 139 148 193 185 207 225

Lockerbie: Bombings

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will make representations to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the Scottish Executive for the publication in full of all medical records held in respect of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in Scotland on the present medical condition of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in Scotland on the number of medical records which were considered on the decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds;
	(4)  what recent discussions he has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in Scotland on the fulfilment by Abdelbaset al-Megrahi of the conditions attached to his release since returning to Libya.

Jack Straw: The decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds is a matter solely for the Scottish Government. It is for the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice to determine whether it would be appropriate to publish the medical records of Mr. al-Megrahi.
	As the release of Mr. al-Megrahi is a matter for the Scottish Government, I have not discussed with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Mr. al-Megrahi's medical records, his current medical condition, or the conditions attached to his release.

Magistrates' Courts: Fines

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was  (a) imposed and  (b) enforced in financial penalties by magistrates' courts in England and Wales in each quarter since January 2005.

Bridget Prentice: The total amount imposed in financial penalties by magistrates courts in England and Wales in each quarter since January 2005 is:
	
		
			  Quarter ending  Amount imposed (£) 
			 March 2005 72,010,873 
			 June 2005 79,893,537 
			 September 2005 76,827,681 
			 December 2005 75,804,360 
			 March 2006 44,796,975 
			 June 2006 52,758,386 
			 September 2006 73,267,726 
			 December 2006 72,474,846 
			 March 2007 79,821,484 
			 June 2007 76,769,112 
			 September 2007 79,280,472 
			 December 2007 76,605,000 
			 March 2008 78,114,419 
			 June 2008 77,579,483 
			 September 2008 86,721,586 
			 December 2008 83,070,886 
			 March 2009 86,955,289 
			 June 2009 85,036,294 
			 September 2009 87,805,353 
			 December 2009 87,805,476 
		
	
	HMCS systems do not identify how much was collected in respect of financial penalties imposed in just the magistrates courts and can provide only the total collected in respect of all financial penalties i.e. financial penalties imposed in the magistrates courts, crown courts and unpaid fixed penalty notices and penalty notices for disorder which are transferred into HMCS for enforcement. The total amount collected in respect of all financial penalties in England and Wales in each quarter since January 2005 is:
	
		
			  Quarter ending  Amount collected (£) 
			 March 2005 53,291,438 
			 June 2005 57,675,258 
			 September 2005 56,145,793 
			 December 2005 60,742,717 
			 March 2006 58,742,427 
			 June 2006 57,725,587 
			 September 2006 86,599,832 
			 December 2006 58,329,155 
			 March 2007 62,139,006 
			 June 2007 64,707,934 
			 September 2007 64,143,607 
			 December 2007 64,439,257 
			 March 2008 62,826,865 
			 June 2008 63,593,020 
			 September 2008 64,649,201 
			 December 2008 59,572,453 
			 March 2009 58,705,030 
			 June 2009 60,469,348 
			 September 2009 62,260,160 
			 December 2009 69,700,096 
		
	
	It should be noted that financial penalties can be collected in a different period from which they were imposed in.

National Offender Management Service: Consultants

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much (a) the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) spent on external consultancy fees and (b) his Department spent on external consultancy fees related to NOMS in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) collates data on consultancy expenditure as part of its Consultancy Value Programme which assists departments in driving greater value from Government's use of consultants. The Ministry's expenditure on consultancy for 2007-08 is reported as £56 million and can be found from the link:
	http://www.ogc.gov.uk/professional_services_consultancy _value_programme.asp
	The 2008-09 data collection and analysis exercise has recently concluded, giving a finalised figure of £49.7 million. This will be posted on the OGC website in due course. A small element of this finalised figure represents an estimate based on average spend per commission where the data provided by business areas was incomplete.
	Both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 figures reflect expenditure by the Ministry of Justice headquarters, HM Courts Service, HM Courts Service Estates, Tribunals Service, and the National Offender Management Service (except for the Probation Service). Refinements in the methodology for classifying expenditure in accordance with OGC taxonomy means that the 2007-08 and 2008-09 figures are not directly comparable at a detailed level.
	Within the totals for each year, the National Offender Management Service accounts for £5 million in 2007-08, excluding payments to Treasury Solicitors which were included in the £56 million total, and £1.35 million in 2008-09.
	The Ministry was established in May 2007 so data is not available prior to 2007-08 for the Department in its current form.
	NOMS receives a delegated budget from the Ministry in order to conduct its business. NOMS have to meet its own consultancy fees from this delegated budget.

Office for Legal Complaints

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the running costs of the Office of Legal Complaints have been in each month since its inception; and what estimate he has made of its likely running costs in its first year of operation.

Bridget Prentice: The Office for Legal Complaints is currently in the process of setting up the Legal Ombudsman Scheme, which is expected to be in operation in the autumn of 2010, and has spent £1,643,000 of its implementation budget since 1 July 2009, when it was established. This represents an average cost of £235,000 per month.
	The running costs of the Legal Ombudsman Scheme in its first year of operation are anticipated to be in line with its forecast budget of £19.9m per annum.

Office for Legal Complaints

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Office for Legal Complaints has installed an IT system to be used to manage its complaints process.

Bridget Prentice: No IT system for managing the complaints system has been installed yet. The Office for Legal Complaints has completed a tendering process for the installation of a case management system and supporting infrastructure. An announcement of the successful outcome of this process is expected to be made shortly.

Office for Legal Complaints

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on the acquisition of the premises of the Office of Legal Complaints.

Bridget Prentice: The Office for Legal Complaints announced its permanent location on Tuesday 23 February. It will be located in the centre of Birmingham in Baskerville House.
	As required under the Legal Services Act 2007 any commitments for premises undertaken by the OLC within its first five years must be approved by the Lord Chancellor. Ministerial approval for the OLC's preferred premises was given on 10 February.

Paedophilia

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent guidance his Department has issued on the publication of images of convicted paedophiles; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice has not issued guidance on the publication of images of convicted criminals. However, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre's Most Wanted website was launched in November 2006 in partnership with Crimestoppers. That website contains photographs of convicted child sexual offenders who are wanted because they have breached the notification requirements. The Home Department has indicated that, to date, 15 of the 20 offenders whose photographs have been posted on the website have been located.
	The photographs and details of child sexual offenders who have failed to comply with their notification requirements and have gone missing are included on the website only following the exhaustion of all lawful means to identify their whereabouts and a comprehensive risk assessment by the responsible police force in respect of the impact on victims, the individual offenders, their family and the community. CEOP and police forces comply with Standard Operating Procedures drawn up in consultation with the Home Office, ACPO and Crimestoppers.

Prison Accommodation

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of  (a) prison capacity and  (b) the prison population in each of the next 12 months; and on what assumptions such estimates are based.

Jack Straw: By the end of 2009 the total useable operational capacity of the prison estate was 85,986.
	The Ministry of Justice aims to increase prison capacity to 96,000 places by 2014 through the prison capacity programme. These places are being provided through the building of new prisons as well as expansion of existing ones and more effective use of the estate. Over 3,600 new places will be delivered in 2010 and around 1,400 new places in 2011.
	Capacity estimates are subject to change due to the number of existing prison places which may need to be taken out of use in the future for maintenance purposes. The precise numbers and delivery timings of new prison places will also depend on construction schedules and prioritisation within the prison estate.
	The Ministry of Justice produces annual projections of the prison population, most recently in August 2009. These project the prison population under three different scenarios, based on different assumptions about future sentencing trends: the medium scenario assumes no increases or decreases in custody rates or determinate sentence lengths. The high/low scenarios reflect a 1 per cent. annual increase/decrease in custody rates and a 0.5 per cent. increase/decrease in the average (determinate) custodial sentence lengths.
	Other impacts included in the projections, such as those of legislation and processes, are applied equally to all scenarios. These cover the anticipated effect of policy and process initiatives that have agreed implementation timetables. These assumptions and anticipated effects have remained unchanged since last year projections.
	The requested information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Monthly values of projected prison population for high, medium and low scenarios February 2010-February 2011 
			   High  Medium  Low 
			 February 2010 83,600 83,100 82,500 
			 March 2010 84,800 84,200 83,500 
			 April 2010 85,000 84,400 83,600 
			 May 2010 85,000 84,300 83,400 
			 June 2010 85,700 84,900 83,900 
			 July 2010 86,600 85,700 84,700 
			 August 2010 86,400 85,500 84,400 
			 September 2010 86,700 85,700 84,400 
			 October 2010 86,800 85,700 84,400 
			 November 2010 87,300 86,100 84,800 
			 December 2010 85,600 84,400 82,900 
			 January 2011 86,500 85,200 83,600 
			 February 2011 86,800 85,400 83,700 
			  Notes: 1. All numbers rounded to the nearest hundred and are end of month figures. 2. The prison population is influenced by diverse factors that can mean that the actual future prison population may not be the same as that projected: changes in sentencer behaviour, policy decisions and the criminal justice process, which can respond to a multitude of environmental factors such as high profile criminal cases and public debate; implementation of new policies and processes without a timetable, or for which a quantitative assessment of the impact is currently not possible; unknown future policy, process and political changes. 
		
	
	More details on the projections may be found in the latest published bulletin, "Prison Population Projections 2009-2015" Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin, 28 August 2009. This is available at the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonpopulation.htm

Prison Sentences

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were sentenced to a prison term in each year since 1997; and how many of those people received sentences of  (a) less than three months,  (b) three to six months,  (c) six to 12 months and  (d) over one year.

Claire Ward: The requested information is shown in the tables.
	The information is taken from Sentencing Statistics 2008, table 2.3, available via the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm
	
		
			  Persons sentenced to immediate custody at all courts by length of sentence, 1997 to 2008, England and Wales 
			  Number and percentage of persons given immediate custody and sentence length 
			  All offences  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002 
			 Total persons sentenced 1,373,378 1,456,776 1,397,786 1,414,188 1,338,522 1,410,504 
			 Number given immediate custody 93,841 100,566 105,323 106,187 106,273 111,607 
			 Percentage given immediate custody 6.8 6.9 7.5 7.5 7.9 7.9 
			 Up to and including three months 35,054 39,427 43,059 41,585 40,884 42,542 
			 Over three months and up to and including six months 22,217 24,314 26,203 28,514 29,030 29,419 
			 Over six months and less than  12 months 5,808 5,963 5,573 6,419 6,337 6,590 
			 12 months 5,641 5,837 5,677 5,316 5,019 5,130 
			 Over 12 months(1) 25,121 25,025 24,811 24,353 25,003 27,926 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and percentage of persons given immediate custody and sentence length 
			  All offences  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Total persons sentenced 1,479,812 1,536,826 1,473,275 1,412,940 1,406,788 1,353,937 
			 Number given immediate custody 107,670 106,322 101,236 96,017 95,206 99,525 
			 Percentage given immediate custody 7.3 6.9 6.9 6.8 6.8 7.4 
			 Up to and including three months 40,754 39,707 37,100 34,712 34,427 35,747 
			 Over three months and up to and including six months 29,498 28,492 26,756 24,422 23,109 22,329 
			 Over six months and less than  12 months 6,038 6,346 6,462 6,401 6,779 6,920 
			 12 months 4,800 4,811 5,001 4,775 5,059 5,652 
			 Over 12 months(1) 26,580 26,966 25,917 25,707 25,832 28,877 
			 (1) Includes life and indeterminate sentences.  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 3. This data has been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. 4. This data is presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. 5. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Property: Sales

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many property transactions took place where the sale price was  (a) more than £60,000,  (b) more than £125,000,  (c) more than £175,000 and  (d) more than £250,000 in each year since 1997.

Michael Wills: Land Registry is able to provide information on the total number of residential properties sold at full value(1) in the requested categories in each year since 1997.
	(1 )Full value = residential property transactions where the full price has been paid. The figures exclude a number of transactions including Right to Buy sales at a discount, properties sold by way of a gift and properties sold under a compulsory purchase or Court order.
	
		
			   > £60,000  > £125,000  > £175,000  > £250,000 
			 1997 526,669 136,965 58,179 22,748 
			 1998 555,992 162,900 73,348 27,890 
			 1999 714,629 241,748 113,334 44,883 
			 2000 731,825 285,573 141,665 57,075 
			 2001 885,625 390,666 197,913 77,098 
			 2002 1,059,497 561,588 302,707 118,723 
			 2003 1,070,227 649,791 364,842 137,778 
			 2004 1,161,199 794,686 472,424 186,086 
			 2005 1,002,711 704,023 428,454 172,511 
			 2006 1,278,538 935,560 592,777 253,268 
			 2007 1,236,072 937,892 627,523 288,260 
			 2008 626,892 458,917 303,879 139,478 
			 2009 576,371 429,267 262,712 124,463

Rape: Sentencing

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average  (a) determinate sentence and  (b) tariff was for a life or indeterminate public protection sentence for rape in each of the last 10 years.

Jack Straw: The available information is provided in the following table. Data on tariffs for life or indeterminate public protection sentences for rape could currently be provided only at disproportionate cost, though I have asked officials for advice on whether future arrangements for the economic collection of this data are feasible.
	When calculating average custodial sentence length only determinate custodial sentences are included. This may have the effect of making the average custodial sentence length (ACSL) appear lower for offences where a larger proportion of offenders are given indeterminate sentences.
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length for rape( 1) , 1998 to 2008 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Rape of a female under 16 88.6 91 91.8 95 94.1 97.1 99.8 95.4 93.3 108.2 110.7 
			 Number of determinate sentences 209 224 188 160 208 235 251 208 189 196 198 
			 Number of indeterminate sentences 7 18 10 14 6 12 16 16 26 35 35 
			 
			 Rape of a female over 16 78.7 78.8 81.5 77.9 83.2 85.3 77.7 82.2 79.8 77.9 80.6 
			 Number of determinate sentences 287 231 245 238 258 261 285 292 264 253 278 
			 Number of indeterminate sentences 28 32 26 28 26 27 34 41 112 115 94 
			 
			 Rape of a male under 16 96 76 67.5 79.7 84.4 85.2 84.5 84.5 81.4 88.5 100.2 
			 Number of determinate sentences 12 30 18 19 26 25 22 26 7 12 9 
			 Number of indeterminate sentences 2 2 4 4 4 2 2 2 7 8 4 
			 
			 Rape of a male over 16 69 65 90.5 85.5 73.7 69 100.5 69 77.1 99.6 75.3 
			 Number of determinate sentences 10 6 12 14 7 4 8 12 13 9 9 
			 Number of indeterminate sentences 2 2 0 4 2 2 2 2 6 7 2 
			 
			 Rape of a female under 13 by a male(2) - - - - - - 57 58.8 75.2 73.5 97.7 
			 Number of determinate sentences - - - - - - 4 41 46 57 92 
			 Number of indeterminate sentences - - - - - - - 4 21 16 32 
			 
			 Rape of a male under 13 by a male(2) - - - - - - - 49.8 47.5 50.3 74.8 
			 Number of determinate sentences - - - - - - - 10 13 18 13 
			 Number of indeterminate sentences - - - - - - - - 6 10 9 
			 (1) Average custodial sentence length excludes life/indeterminate sentences. (2) Enacted as distinct offences by the Sexual Offences Act 2003 from 1 May 2004 with no equivalent offence under the 1956 Act.

Robbery: Convictions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2010,  Official Report, column 788W, on robbery: convictions, how many people in each age group in each court area were convicted of robbery offences.

Claire Ward: The number of people found guilty of robbery by age group and Criminal Justice System area, England and Wales 1998 to 2008 (latest available) are shown in tables 1 to 11 which have been placed in the Library of the House.

Youth Justice Board

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Youth Justice Board spent on prevention programmes in 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: For the financial year 2008-09 the Youth Justice Board incurred expenditure of £36,479,000 on prevention programmes.
	The data contained in this answer are taken from the published YJB annual accounts.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Binyam Mohamed

William Hague: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  how many cases are involved in the Attorney-General's inquiry into matters arising from the case of Binyam Mohamed; and when she expects her inquiries to be completed;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to Lord Avebury of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, House of Lords, columns 1265-6WA, on Binyam Mohamed, when the Attorney-General intends to report to Parliament his assessment of the question of criminal wrongdoing referred to.

Vera Baird: I refer the right hon. Member to the statement I made on 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column 26WS.

Government Departments: Judicial Review

Francis Maude: To ask the Solicitor-General how many judicial reviews there were involving Government departments according to records held by the  (a) Treasury Solicitor and  (b) Administrative Court Office in each of the last three years; and how many such reviews were upheld in whole or in part in each such year.

Vera Baird: The Treasury Solicitor's Department was instructed in the following number of applications for judicial reviews in each of the last three years:
	2007: 4,756
	2008: 4,823
	2009: 6,293.
	Specific data on how many such reviews were upheld in whole or in part in each such year are not maintained by the Treasury Solicitor's Department. The information requested can therefore be provided but only at disproportionate cost.
	The Administrative Court Office does not retain the information sought in this question. However, it is able to produce information on cases in which a Government Department is shown as first defendant. Where a Government Department is named as a subsequent defendant this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The figures the Administrative Court Office has for cases where a central Government Department was named as first defendant over the last three years are as follows:
	2007: 4,614
	2008: 4,877
	2009: 6,886.
	With regard to the number of these cases where the application was upheld, in whole or in part, this information is not held and, again, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Administrative Court Office's case management system can identify the number of cases each year where Government Departments were named as first defendant and where the judicial review was granted following a substantive hearing. These figures are as follows:
	2007: 13
	2008: 12
	2009: 4.
	These figures should be treated with considerable caution, since they relate only to the outcome of substantive hearings (not to the outcome of applications at permission stage). A number of cases settle either when permission to apply for judicial review is granted or shortly before the matter is heard substantively.

Newspaper Licensing Agency

Nick Hurd: To ask the Solicitor-General what payments the Law Officers' Department made to the Newspaper Licensing Agency in each of the last 10 years.

Vera Baird: Payments made by Law Officers' Departments to the Newspapers Licensing Agency are contained in the following table.
	
		
			   Payments (£) 
			 2000 6,789.47 
			 2001 10,242.39 
			 2002 369.00 
			 2003 8819.4 
			 2004 13,844.12 
			 2005 19,869.02 
			 2006 20,233.83 
			 2007 14,772.98 
			 2008 22,0187.1 
			 2009 26,975.88 
			  Notes: 1. The table shows direct payments to the NLA. Some Law Officers' Departments also pay a fee to the NLA via their cuttings agencies, which act as a collection agency for the licence fees associated with the hard copy cuts provided. It is not possible to quantify these payments over the period requested due to disproportionate cost. 2. The CPS has no record of payment in 2002. It is not possible to provide an explanation for this due to passage of time. 3. Payments in 2008 and 2009 included indemnity payments for previous unlicensed copying or electronic access at the RCPO and AGO respectively.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Social Services: Doncaster

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what  (a) correspondence and  (b) reports and reviews on safeguarding in Doncaster have been received by (i) the Director for Children and Learners in the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) the Children's Services Adviser in the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber since 1 January 2004; and on what date each was received;
	(2)  what communications his Department has received on safeguarding in Doncaster from  (a) the Director for Children and Learners in the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber and  (b) the Children's Services Adviser in the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber since 1 January 2004; and on what date each was received;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of every item of correspondence between his Department, Ofsted, Doncaster children's services and the Doncaster Safeguarding Children Board, since January 2007;
	(4)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of meetings which  (a) the Secretary of State,  (b) Ministers in his Department and its predecessor and  (c) departmental officials have attended at which safeguarding in Doncaster has been discussed in each year since 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answers 25 January and 1 February 2010
	To supply the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Services: Doncaster

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  whether any official in  (a) the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber and  (b) his Department received a copy of Organisation and Management Review of Duty and Assessment and Urban CSSW Teams written by Bron Sanders for Doncaster metropolitan borough council in March 2007;
	(2)  whether  (a) he,  (b) the Director of Children and Learners in the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) the Children Services Improvement Adviser in the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber, received a copy of the internal report on safeguarding in Doncaster authored in 2007 by Bron Sanders.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answers 28 January and 1 February 2010
	The report by Bron Sanders on the Organisation and Management Review of Duty and Assessment and Urban CSSW Teams was published by Doncaster metropolitan borough council in April 2009. Neither my Department nor the Government office for Yorkshire and the Humber (GOYH) have found anything in our records which indicates that any Minister or official in DCSF or GOYH received a copy of the report prior to its publication.

Social Services: Doncaster

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what meetings  (a) he and his predecessors,  (b) officials in his Department,  (c) representatives of the Government office in Yorkshire and the Humber have had with (i) Doncaster councillors, (ii) officers and (iii) representatives of children's services in Doncaster at which safeguarding children was discussed in each year since 2005;
	(2)  what meetings  (a) the Director of Children and Learners and  (b) the Children Services Improvement Adviser in the Government office of Yorkshire and the Humber have had with (i) Doncaster council, (ii) representatives of his Department and (iii) others on serious case reviews and child protection in Doncaster since 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answers 2 and 8 February 2010
	Since assuming responsibility for supporting and challenging safeguarding performance in LAs in April 2007, Government office for Yorkshire and the Humber (GOYH) officials have met council officials regularly regarding safeguarding and other aspects of children's services.
	Following Ofsted's publication of the 2008 APA (Annual Performance Assessment) which rated Doncaster's children's services "inadequate", Ministers and DCSF officials met with the council to discuss the required improvements, and how best to drive them forward. Ministers have since met with the Mayor, council members and council officers over the course of the intervention to discuss the progress of the improvement agenda.
	Ministers issued a direction on 12 March 2009, requiring the council to establish an Improvement Board to advise, scrutinise and challenge the council in their improvement planning and work. This has met on a monthly basis, and included officials from DCSF and GOYH in an observer capacity.
	Since August 2009, a monthly Performance Challenge meeting chaired by GOYH has run alongside the Improvement Board, and included council members and officers and DCSF officials in its membership; this meeting was designed to provide more detailed scrutiny, challenge and support to specific performance areas.
	A new Children's Board (succeeding the Improvement Board), which met for the first time on 29 January 2010, is designed to advise and support the council's and partners' strategic leadership of children's services; DCSF and GOYH representatives attend in an observer capacity.
	Safeguarding children and child protection were the primary focus of these meetings; responses to Serious Case Reviews were included in the discussion where relevant.

Special Educational Needs: Inspections

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of Ofsted inspectors of  (a) primary,  (b) secondary and  (c) special schools have (i) professional experience of working with and (ii) undertaken specialist training in inspecting provision for children with (A) physical disabilities and (B) special educational needs.

Vernon Coaker: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 19 February 2010:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Detailed information about the professional experience of inspectors in relation to special educational needs and physical disability is not held electronically. However, given that almost all education and training settings have pupils and students with special educational needs and disabilities, and that virtually all inspectors of schools have been teachers, it is almost certain that all of these inspectors have professional experience of working with such pupils.
	All inspectors are provided with training on inspecting provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Ofsted has recently prepared a training update for all school inspectors. HMI have undertaken this training and the material is currently being prepared for the inspection service providers for use with additional inspectors. Fifty-four HMI and 259 additional inspectors who inspect schools have a specialism in special educational needs and disabilities. These numbers include 10 HMI and 102 additional inspectors with a specialism in physical disability. Some of these inspectors have come from specialist backgrounds; for example, they were formerly teachers or headteachers in special schools or mainstream schools that have specially resourced provision, and others have gained expertise through their work as inspectors. Ofsted is currently preparing updated training for all specialist inspectors. This training will be undertaken from the start of the summer term. In addition, an extensive specialist resource pack for inspecting provision for special educational needs in mainstream and special schools is being revised. This material will also be provided for inspectors from the summer term.
	Ofsted is committed to making every effort to deploy specialist inspectors to inspect specialist provision in mainstream and special schools.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and placed in the library in both Houses.

Teachers: Secondary Education

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average staff to pupil ratio is in secondary schools in  (a) Mid Sussex constituency and  (b) England.

Diana Johnson: The following table provides the pupil:adult ratios for local authority maintained secondary schools in Mid Sussex parliamentary constituency and England, January 2009.
	
		
			  Within school pupil:adult ratio (PAR)( 1)  in local authority maintained secondary schools. Year: January 2009. Coverage: Mid Sussex parliamentary constituency and England 
			   PAR 
			 Mid Sussex 11.3 
			 England 10.7 
			 (1) The within school PAR is calculated by dividing the total full-time equivalent (FTE) number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of all teachers and support staff employed in schools, excluding administrative and clerical staff.   Source:  School Census.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many completed transactions there were under Open Market Homebuy during its period of operation.

John Healey: For the Open Market Homebuy scheme launched on 1 April 2008, provisional estimates indicate that there were 7,919 completed transactions between April 2008 and September 2009. Information on the total number of completions under the scheme will be available in due course.

Affordable Housing: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Homes and Communities Agency has spent on acquiring unsold stock for affordable housing in each of the last 12 months; and how many properties have been purchased.

John Healey: Information on expenditure on all acquisitions for 2009-10 will be available after the end of the financial year.

Affordable Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on bringing temporary social housing up to the Homes and Communities Agency's design and quality standards since the introduction of those standards.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency's design and quality standards apply to temporary social housing (TSH) in a limited way. Where TSH is provided for units available for between two and 14 years alternative standards apply. For those TSH schemes lasting between 15 and 29 years both internal and sustainability core standards are mandatory while external environmental standards and additional specific standards are incentivised through the grant levels that can be provided.
	Information on how much is spent on bringing temporary social housing up to these standards is not collected centrally.

Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers parish council wardens have to issue penalty notices for disorder.

Barbara Follett: This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice.

Community Development: Expenditure

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been granted under the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders in each  (a) local authority and  (b) lower super output area in each year since 2000.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows amounts committed under the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder programme, which began in 2002-03. Funding is provided as part of local authority area based grant, a non ring-fenced funding stream, therefore we do not hold information on funding at lower super output area level.
	
		
			  Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders  Region  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  Total 
			  Round one
			 Ashfield EM 0.755 0.844 0.786 0.605 0.323 0.323 0.323 - - 3.959 
			 Barnsley YH 0.272 0.393 0.625 0.620 0.870 0.620 0.278 - - 3.678 
			 Basildon E 0.411 0.359 0.601 0.739 0.450 0.450 0.250 - - 3.260 
			 Bolton NW 0.598 0.525 0.742 0.970 0.606 0.434 0.047 - - 3.922 
			 Bournemouth SW 0.357 0.428 0.656 0.735 0.639 0.406 0.290 - - 3.511 
			 Burton WM 0.287 0.512 0.576 0.605 0.701 0.491 0.354 - - 3.526 
			 Camden L 0.446 0.535 1.039 0.600 0.300 0.256 0.216 - - 3.392 
			 Chester NW 0.322 0.471 0.810 0.800 0.660 0.200 0.200 - - 3.463 
			 Derwentside NE 0.233 0.63 0.789 0.811 0.592 0.378 0.257 - - 3.690 
			 Easington NE 0.372 0.35 0.753 0.882 0.340 0.220 0.200 - - 3.117 
			 Gloucester SW 0.147 0.556 0.558 0.737 0.696 0.417 0.295 - - 3.406 
			 Greenwich L 0.444 0.46 0.640 0.620 0.550 0.450 0.370 - - 3.534 
			 Hastings SE 0.275 0.614 0.645 0.530 0.470 0.440 0.266 - - 3.240 
			 Kirklees YH 0.577 0.604 0.647 0.637 0.600 0.500 0.203 - - 3.768 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme WM 0.322 0.562 0.652 0.586 0.379 0.378 0.378 - - 3.257 
			 Poulton NW 0.584 0.258 0.897 0.800 0.439 0.343 0.264 - - 3.585 
			 Rotherham YH 0.44 0.309 0.552 0.565 0.839 0.610 0.207 - - 3.522 
			 Staveley EM 0.321 0.62 0.680 0.668 0.381 0.381 0.381 - - 3.432 
			 Stockton-on-Tees NE 0.545 0.625 0.833 0.657 0.477 0.386 0.263 - - 3.786 
			 Tameside NW 0.483 0.475 0.725 0.900 0.489 0.512 0.077 - - 3.661 
			 
			  Round two
			 Bassetlaw EM - - 0.260 0.350 0.358 0.391 0.349 0.337 0.295 2.340 
			 Blackburn with Darwen NW - - 0.203 0.316 0.373 0.382 0.350 0.341 0.334 2.299 
			 Blyth Valley NE - - 0.081 0.400 0.434 0.379 0.405 0.312 0.290 2.301 
			 Calderdale YH - - 0.241 0.291 0.332 0.344 0.357 0.353 0.345 2.263 
			 Fenland E - - 0.260 0.568 0.354 0.354 0.354 0.354 0.354 2.598 
			 Isle of Wight Council SE - - 0.243 0.309 0.426 0.415 0.370 0.320 0.300 2.383 
			 North Devon SW - - 0.333 0.334 0.364 0.367 0.387 0.330 0.295 2.410 
			 North Lincolnshire YH - - 0.269 0.392 0.350 0.350 0.350 0.350 0.350 2.411 
			 Shepway SE - - 0.266 0.244 0.330 0.345 0.378 0.378 0.378 2.319 
			 Solihull WM - - 0.254 0.449 0.330 0.330 0.330 0.330 0.330 2.353 
			 Southwark L - - 0.222 0.270 0.408 0.396 0.349 0.347 0.350 2.342 
			 Waltham Forest L - - 0.286 0.300 0.347 0.347 0.347 0.347 0.347 2.321 
			 Westminster L - - 0.256 0.300 0.350 0.350 0.350 0.350 0.341 2.297 
			 Wirral NW - - 0.219 0.265 0.350 0.350 0.350 0.350 0.350 2.234 
			 Wyre Forest WM - - 0.318 0.444 0.418 0.348 0.522 0.310 0.234 2.594 
			 Total  8.191 10.130 17.917 19.299 16.325 13.643 10.667 5.109 4.893 106.174

Community Development: Expenditure

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been granted under the European Regional Development Fund in each  (a) local authority and  (b) lower super output area in each year since 2000.

Rosie Winterton: European Regional Development Fund grants are paid to a wide range of public and private sector applicants. Furthermore, they are not restricted to either local authority or lower super output areas and may cover the whole or part of an ERDF programme area, including several local authorities.
	It would therefore be a disproportionate cost to my Department to produce this information for each local authority and lower super output area.

Community Development: Expenditure

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been granted under the Single Regeneration Budget in each  (a) local authority and  (b) lower super output area in each year since 2000.

Rosie Winterton: The SRJB was allocated to Government offices (GOs) and regional development agencies (RDAs) giving them the authority, freedom and flexibility to best determine the local needs and options through a bidding process. Information is therefore not available for how this was applied to each local authority or each lower super output area (LSOA).
	The table shows total SRB expenditure for the six rounds of the programme was £5.7 billion.
	
		
			  GO/RDA  SRB (£ million) 
			 East of England 136.7 
			 East Midlands 283.8 
			 London 1,519.60 
			 North East 650.2 
			 North West 1,085.50 
			 South East 349.4 
			 South West 168.1 
			 West Midlands 630.6 
			 Yorkshire/Humberside 879.5 
			 Total 5,703.40

Community Development: Expenditure

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been granted under the Land and Property Programme in each  (a) local authority and  (b) lower super output area in each year since 2000.

Rosie Winterton: The Land and Property Programme funding was allocated to eligible local authorities giving them the authority, freedom and flexibility to best determine the local needs and options. Information is therefore not available on how this was applied to each Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA).
	I have placed in the Library of the House, a table which records the allocation for each local authority area in England from 2000-01 to 2008-09.

Council Housing: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of the funding announced for the Local Authority New Build scheme  (a) at the Budget 2009 and  (b) in the Housing Pledge is to be financed through (i) grants and (ii) borrowing.

John Healey: The funding announced under the Local Authority New Build programme is 50.3 per cent. grant and 49.7 per cent. prudential borrowing. This is close to the 50:50 that was anticipated when the programme was first launched. Local Authority New Build is a single programme. Funding was first announced in the Budget 2009 and significantly increased by the Housing Pledge.

Council Housing: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of the housing stock owned by each London borough was empty in each of the last five years; for what average length of time such properties were empty in each borough in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: A table (table 1) showing estimates of the number of empty dwellings owned by each of the London boroughs and the length of time they were empty at 1 April in each of the last five years has been placed in the House Library.
	Another table (table 2) showing estimates of vacant local authority stock in each London borough as a proportion of local authority dwelling stock at 1 April in the same years has been placed in the House Library.

Council Tax: Statistics

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when his Department plans to publish its statistical release on council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2010-11; and whether the UK Statistics Authority will have a role in preparation of the statistics.

Barbara Follett: A statistical release containing details of the level of council tax set by local authorities in England 2010-11 will be published on the Communities and Local Government website at 09:30 on Wednesday 24 March 2010. This date has been publicised on both the UK National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/release-calendar/index.html
	and the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/researchand statistics/statistics/publicationschedule
	The UK Statistics Authority is an independent body and will have played no part in the production of these statistics, except that the statistical release is produced subject to their guidelines.

Council Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which billing authority has the lowest Band D council tax level.

Barbara Follett: In 2009-10, Broxbourne has the lowest Band D council tax level in England.
	This information can be found in Table 8 of the statistical release council tax levels set by local authorities in England: 2009-10 (Revised) that is available on the Communities and Local Government website at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/counciltax200910update

Council Tax: Valuation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether there is any limit to the number of years an alteration to a valuation banding can be backdated and the residents be refunded in the case of an incorrect council tax banding.

Barbara Follett: The Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 (regulations 17-31) set out the way in which billing authorities must administer council tax bills and issue demand notices requiring payment. Regulation 31(4) provides that any amount of council tax overpaid shall be repaid to the taxpayer, or credited against subsequent liability of that person.
	No limit is stated in the regulations regarding the period of back payment. However, when correcting an inaccuracy in a council tax valuation list, the extent to which an alteration can be backdated will depend on the circumstances of the case. No backdating can be before the date on which the dwelling first appeared in a valuation list.

Council Tax: Valuation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 766W, on the Valuation Office Agency, whether any changes have been made to  (a) his Department's policy on refunding householders following an erroneous council tax valuation and  (b) the maximum liability of a local authority to refund over-payments of council tax attributable to incorrect banding.

Barbara Follett: A person who has overpaid council tax is entitled to have the overpayment refunded. There has been no decision to change this, nor to limit the liability of a local authority to make such refunds where practicable.

Departmental Energy

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government's Sustainable Operations Policy requires all equipment to be switched off when not in use. We are ensuring that this is being done by fitting timers and sensors to all non-networked equipment, using a centralised Building Energy Management System (BEMS), and conducting an ongoing energy efficiency awareness campaign.
	However, the Department does not intend to specifically participate in Earth Hour's switch off. CLG's office lighting system is 15 years old and has reached the end of its useful life. Consequently, a proportion of its movement sensors have failed and some lights no longer switch off automatically. To address this, the Department is undertaking a comprehensive office lighting upgrade which is expected to achieve over 50 per cent. savings in lighting energy. Full participation in Earth Hour's switch off before the completion of this replacement project would involve initiating a total building power shutdown and this would be disproportionately expensive.

Departmental Legislation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which provisions of the  (a) Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002,  (b) Homelessness Act 2002,  (c) Local Government Act 2003,  (d) Housing Act 2004,  (e) Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004,  (f) Planning-gain Supplement (Preparations) Act 2007,  (g) Planning Act 2008,  (h) Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 and  (i) Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 have not been commenced.

Barbara Follett: Please see the following information about the commencement of the Acts referred to in  (a) to  (i). The information relates to provisions which apply to England, or England and Wales, but does not include provisions where the responsibility for commencement lies with Welsh Ministers. It also excludes some provisions which have been included in Commencement Orders but are not yet in force.
	 (a) Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002
	Not commenced-
	Sections 121, 122 (partially), 123-124, schedule 8, sections 152 (partially), 154, 156 (partially), 157 (partially) and schedule 10 (partially).
	 (b) Homelessness Act 2002
	All provisions in force.
	 (c) Local Government Act 2003
	Not commenced-
	Sections 68, 69, 90 (partially)
	Schedule 8 (partially)
	 (d) Housing Act 2004
	Not commenced-
	Section 265 and schedules 15 (partially), 16 (partially).
	 (e) Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004
	Not commenced-
	Sections 45, 46 to 48 (repealed), 50, 51
	Schedule 6 paragraphs 4 to 6 (paragraph 5 repealed), 14, 16(3), 27
	Schedule 7 paragraphs 1,19(3) and (4)
	Schedule 9-the repeal of sections 73, 83, 106-106B and 220 of, and schedules 1 (Wales) and 7 to, the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; the repeal of section 10(2) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990; the repeal of section 17 of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991.
	 (f) Planning-gain Supplement (Preparations) Act 2007
	All provisions in force.
	 (g) Planning Act 2008
	Not commenced-
	Sections 14 (partially), 27-30, 153 (partially), 186, 189, 190 (partially), 192 (partially), 193, 196 (partially), 206 (partially), 224 (partially), 238 (partially)
	Schedules 6 (partially), 8, 9 (partially), 10 (partially), 13 (partially).
	 (h) Housing and Regeneration Act 2008
	Not commenced-
	Sections 4 (partially), 19 (partially), 31, 32 (partially), 33 (partially), 35, 56 and schedule 8 (partially), 57 (partially), 58 (partially), 60-63, 64 (partially), 68-71 (partially), 73-80 (partially), section 94, sections 95 to 98 (partially), sections 106 to 111, sections 112 to 113 (partially), section 115, sections 116 to 117 (partially), section 118, section 119 (partially), section 120 to 126, section 127 (partially), sections 128 to 130, section 131 (partially), sections 132 to 143, section s 144 to 145 (partially),sections 146 to 173, section 174 (partially), sections 175 to 191, section 198 (partially), sections 199 to 101, section 102 (partially), sections 203 to 211, section 212 (partially), section 213, sections 214 to 215 (partially), sections 217 to 227, section 228 (partially), sections 229 to 233, section 234 (partially), sections 235 to 239, section 240 (partially), sections 241 to 243, section 244 (partially), sections 245 to 274, sections 275 to 276 (partially), section 277 and schedule 9 (partially), sections 278 to 296 and schedule 10, section 299 and schedule 11 (partially), section 303 and schedule 12 (partially), section 314 and schedule 15 (partially), section 316 (partially), section 318 section 321 and schedule 16 (partially).
	 (i) Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009
	Not commenced-
	Sections 1-22, 34-54, 138-145
	Schedule 7 (partially).

Departmental Manpower

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2010,  Official Report, column 285W, on departmental manpower, when each of the three policy advisers on fixed term contracts was appointed; which appointments were subject to open competition; and if he will list the names of each.

Barbara Follett: The policy adviser, Strategy Performance Division was appointed in June 2009 through limited competition.
	The senior policy adviser, Cohesion and Faiths Division was appointed in January 2003 following a secondment.
	The policy adviser, Housing Supply Division was appointed in April 2009 through limited competition.
	Under the Civil Service Recruitment principles, there is no automatic requirement to advertise fixed term contracts publicly.
	I am unable to provide the names of those employed as these individuals are not members of the senior civil service. Information, including names, on senior officials can be found in the Civil Service Yearbook.

Departmental Marketing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) his Department and its agencies and  (b) companies contracted by his Department and its agencies have spent on celebrity endorsements and appearances relating to projects sponsored by his Department in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: The Department's central Communication Directorate incurred the following fees for the use of celebrities over the last three financial years, either directly or through contracted companies:
	2007-08: £200,000 for work on the Fire Kills public safety campaign
	2008-09: £211,500 for work on the Fire Kills public safety campaign and the REACH BME role models campaign
	2009-10: (To February 2010) - £27,500 for work on the Fire Kills public safety campaign and the Ordinary People, Extraordinary Career Fire and Rescue Service recruitment campaign
	These costs exclude fees paid to celebrities or other publicly known individuals, who worked for the Department as voice over artists or in another capacity to which their celebrity status was not relevant to the work conducted.
	They include fees paid to celebrities or other publicly known individuals for a range of activity not strictly defined as 'endorsements or appearances' where the individual's public status was of perceived benefit to the Department.
	Information relating to use of celebrities by the Department's agencies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Paper

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) suppliers and  (b) brands of (i) paper and (ii) paper products his Department uses; and what his Department's policy is on the procurement of those materials.

Barbara Follett: Suppliers are appointed through our stationery contract with Banner Business Services and the Buying solutions paper framework contract-Antalis, Ebb, Howard Smith, McNaughton, Premier Paper, Robert Home, The Paper Company, Xerox.
	Brands currently used-9 Lives, Revive, Greencoat, Cocoon, Oxygen, Evolve Business, and Cyclus. Some of these are common products, available under different brand names from different suppliers.
	Within those brands it is our policy to only use products which are 100 per cent. post consumer waste if uncoated, or 75 per cent. post consumer waste if coated in line with DEFRA policy guidelines.

Departmental Pay

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Weybridge of 29 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 1136-37W, on departmental manpower, what the average salary is of an employee in each of the pay ranges between 3(EO) and Director.

Barbara Follett: In Communities and Local Government the average salary in each pay range from pay range 3 (EO) to director is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Pay range  Average salary (£) 
			 3 (executive officer) 28,240 
			 4 (higher executive officer) 32,103 
			 5 (senior executive officer) 38,826 
			 6 (grade 7) 49,739 
			 7 (grade 6) 61,433 
			 SCSI 71,260

Departmental Plants

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies has spent on pot plants in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Barbara Follett: The maintenance of pot plants for the Department for Communities and Local Government and its agencies is contained within the overall scope of existing Integrated Facilities Management contracts and therefore not separately identifiable.
	The cost of pot plants procured within the specified period is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 (i) 2007-08 725.25 
			 (ii) 2008-09 0 
			 (iii) 2009-10 0

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days since its inception.

Barbara Follett: Information on sickness absence for 2004, 2005, 2006-07 for the Department for Communities and Local Government can be found on the civil service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/sickness/sickness.aspx
	For the periods 2008-09 and 2009-10, Communities and Local Government has been monitoring absence figures on a quarterly basis and details will be published shortly on the Department's external website and as annual figures in our forthcoming departmental report.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which companies were contracted by his Department for the provision of temporary staff in each of the last three years; how many temporary staff were employed by his Department in each such year; and what the monetary value was of contracts with each such company in each such year.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 22 February 2010
	The Department has used several suppliers over the last three years for the provision of temporary and agency staff. The monetary value of individual contracts could be disaggregated only at a disproportionate cost.
	Details of the Department's staffing levels are published each year in its annual report and resource accounts, copies of which can be found on the Department's external website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent under each budgetary heading on the seminar held at the City Inn, Westminster on An Introduction to Strategic Communications; which  (a) Ministers,  (b) officials and  (c) guests attended; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the agenda and each handout from the meeting.

Barbara Follett: The training course in question was part of the current learning and development programme for junior members of the Communication Directorate in this Department. There was no ministerial involvement in this training module. The costs associated with obtaining the training from the provider are commercially confidential, as are the materials used for the module. The cost of accommodating the two training modules was £2,000 excluding VAT.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 26 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 737W, on domestic waste, whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the counting of efficiency savings made as a consequence of moving from weekly to alternate weekly collections of household waste.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Local Government (John Healey) on 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 779W, to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles).

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2010,  Official Report, column 290W, on local government: cost effectiveness, what proportion of the £550 million of efficiency savings he expects to come from more efficient waste collection.

Barbara Follett: The pre-Budget report sets out a number of areas where local government will be able to find significant efficiencies by 2012-13. It is for individual local authorities to make efficiencies based on local priorities and use of resources. Waste collection is an example of how they may do this.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities had reported the implementation of alternate weekly collection of household waste as the source of an efficiency saving in the annual efficiency returns submitted to his Department on the latest date for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not collect information from councils about the value of efficiencies broken down by individual service sectors. Since 2008, councils have been required to report only the net total of current cash-releasing value for money gains that have been in effect since the start of the 2008-09 financial period.
	In the 2004 spending review period which ended in 2007-08, councils were required to submit Annual Efficiency Statements, which included a breakdown by service area of efficiency savings. These categories included waste.
	The most recent information available from Annual Efficiency Statements is for 2007-08 and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Local Government to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1155W, on waste disposal.

Government Office for London: Buildings

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2010,  Official Report, column 505W, on Government Office for London: location, what the cost to his Department will be of  (a) surrendering the lease on Riverwalk House before it expires in 2011 and  (b) any empty property rates owed on Riverwalk House.

Rosie Winterton: The Department for Communities and Local Government do not intend to surrender the lease at Riverwalk House prior to the lease expiry. There are no empty property rates owing for the facility.

Homes and Communities Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the job title is of each head of functions at the Homes and Communities Agency.

John Healey: The following list gives the job title of each head of function at the Homes and Communities Agency:
	Head of Corporate Performance and Programme Management
	Head of Corporate Assurance
	Head of Finance
	Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development
	Head of Information Technology
	Head of Legal Services
	Head of Investment Analysis
	Head of Investment Programmes
	Head of Markets and Renewal
	Head of New Business and Economics
	Head of Private Finance
	Company Secretary
	Head of Communications
	Head of Policy and Performance
	Head of Academy Operations
	Head of Strategy and External Relations.

Homes and Communities Agency Academy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) training schemes and  (b) courses the Homes and Communities Agency Academy provides.

Ian Austin: Continually updated information on the range of training schemes and courses offered by the Homes and Communities Agency skills and knowledge team is available on the website at this address:
	http://skills.homesandcommunities.co.uk/courses
	Training schemes and courses are only developed in response to market demand, and where it is evident that a gap in the market exists in relation to other service providers.

Homes and Communities Agency: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  with reference to page 27 of the Homes and Communities Agency's Corporate Plan for 2009, from which programmes he expects the Agency to make capital efficiencies; how much will be saved from each programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to page 28 of the Homes and Communities Agency's Corporate Plan 2009, from which programme the Agency expects to make programme efficiencies; how much will be saved from each programme; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Of the £108 million reprioritisation in 2009-10, £50 million is being found from making efficiencies within the national affordable housing programme, and £30 million comes from the Community Infrastructure Fund. £2 million is being found from the Property and Regeneration programme and £26 million comes from recycled receipts from the former Derelict Land Grant programme.
	For 2010-11, a further £50 million will be found from efficiencies within the national affordable housing programme. The remaining £25 million of efficiencies will be identified at a later stage, following an assessment of performance and delivery options for 2010-11.

Housing: Construction

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to increase the environmental standards to which new houses are built.

Ian Austin: The Government have taken a number of steps to increase the environmental standards of new homes by reducing carbon emissions, the risk of flooding from surface water run-off and improving water efficiency. Specific measures include:
	1. Setting a target for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016 by raising energy efficiency standards under Part L of the Building Regulations with interim steps in 2010 and 2013. This regulatory approach to achieving a step change in the carbon footprint is supported by other, non-regulatory measures including:
	The Code for Sustainable Homes-a voluntary set of standards for assessing the sustainability of new homes and whose highest level (level 6) requires zero carbon;
	Exemplar programmes, including zero carbon Eco towns and also the Homes and Communities Agency's Carbon Challenge which is taking forward developments built to level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes;
	Financial support for the Zero Carbon Hub, a delivery body established by industry to overcome the practical barriers to delivery of zero carbon homes;
	Stamp duty land tax exemption for zero carbon homes.
	Clarifying the role of local planning in supporting the zero carbon policy through the Planning Policy Statement on climate change.
	2. Introducing water efficiency targets at 125 litres per person per day into Part G of the Building Regulations in line with standards set in the Code for Sustainable Homes at level 1 and 2.
	3. National Planning Policy Statements also allows local authorities to set higher than national standards into local planning policy. This means that as long as the local circumstances justify it, and does not make house-building unviable, local authorities:
	could set a code level standard for new housing development in particular locations.
	should require new development to be planned to make good use of opportunities for decentralised and renewable and low-carbon energy-planning policies should support innovation and investment in sustainable buildings.

Housing: Construction

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme among local government procurement officers.

Barbara Follett: Local authorities are responsible for their own procurement decisions. In doing so, they will have regard to good practice, including where relevant the use of construction industry competency card schemes.

Housing: Energy

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations the Energy Saving Trust has made to his Department on the  (a) level of council tax on and  (b) sale or rent of properties with an energy efficiency rating of F or G.

Barbara Follett: No representations have been received by this Department about  (a) the level of council tax on and  (b) the sale or rent of properties with an energy efficiency rating of F or G.

Local Government Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much he expects to be spent on growth funding in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

John Healey: The Department has allocated £272.5 million of Growth Funds in 2009-10 and £184.3 million in 2010-11. Awards for 2010-11 are provisional with the allocations being paid and confirmed in early 2010. We will adopt a policy of only altering provisional allocations in exceptional circumstances, in line with the approach taken in relation to the local government finance settlement. As a single unringfenced block grant, local authorities have the flexibility to prioritise how and when they spend their funding allocations. In addition, £60 million of eco-towns growth funding was announced on 8 February 2010.
	A full list of allocations is available on the Department's website:
	www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingsupply/growth areas/supportinggrowthfunding/

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the charging of a district precept and a parish precept for provision of the same services to residents in parished areas.

Barbara Follett: The issue of precepts is a matter for the major and local precepting authorities as set out in the Local Government Finance Act 1992. There is no requirement for the precept to be broken down against specific services provided.

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 12 May 2009,  Official Report, column 721W, on local government finance, how much has been allocated to performance reward grant funding in  (a) each year since its was introduced,  (b) 2009-10,  (c) 2010-11 and  (d) 2011-12.

Barbara Follett: Since the scheme began in 2000 about £3.04 billion has been allocated by the Treasury to performance reward grant funding. £1.2 billion was allocated to the first round as part of spending review 2000 and £1.5 billion was allocated to the second under comprehensive spending review 2004. A further £340 million was allocated to the current round as part of comprehensive spending review 2007.

Local Government Finance: Oxfordshire

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what grounds his Department rejected the exceptional circumstances case put to it by West Oxfordshire district council in relation to the rate support grant settlement on 23 December 2009.

Barbara Follett: The Government consulted on the Formula Grant Settlement for local authorities in England between 26 November 2009 and 6 January 2010. In their representation, West Oxfordshire sought a recalculation of the settlement using the most recent data on their council tax base, instead of the projected data that has been used for all authorities in the calculation of the Government's proposals.
	The council tax base projections used in the 2008-09 to 2010-11 Provisional Settlements were calculated in November 2007 and took into account tax base data from October 2005 and 2007. These projections used the latest data available at the time of the three-year settlement's original calculation and were calculated on a consistent basis for all local authorities.
	One of the principles of multi-year settlements is the provision of more predictability and certainty in relation to the funding that we provide to local government, so that authorities can plan and manage their budgets better. Reopening the settlement to change data for an authority would undermine this principle as it would also change the distribution of formula grant for all local authorities. For this reason, where a three-year settlement is in operation, we have a clearly stated policy of only changing published provisional local government finance reports under entirely exceptional circumstances. The Government considered all representations received during consultation, including the representation from West Oxfordshire dated 23 December 2009, but concluded that no exceptional circumstances had arisen.

Local Government: Apprentices

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 2 February 2010, on apprenticeships, if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) full dataset of the snapshot findings and  (b) accompanying analysis.

Barbara Follett: This snapshot of information, voluntarily provided by local authorities, was used to help inform policy. Aggregate information was included in the press notice, 'John Denham Urges Councils to Create 3,000 More Apprenticeships'. The Department has no plans to publish the full data set.

Local Government: Apprentices

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 2 February 2010, on apprenticeships, what criteria were used to determine which local authorities would be eligible for local authority green space apprenticeships.

Barbara Follett: Funding to support the training and employment costs of the first year of each additional apprenticeship was offered to local authorities which met the following criteria:
	Had been defined as urban under DEFRA's current (post-April 2009) rural definitions and local authority classifications;
	Had already take on apprentices or had put schemes on hold due to financial constraints, but would be ready to restart given this funding;
	Would be able to provide any additional funding required to run the schemes for their whole duration.

Local Government: Bank Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent information he has received from  (a) Bassetlaw district council and  (b) other local authorities on repayments in respect of losses on investments in Icelandic banks.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not collect information from local authorities on repayments in respect of losses on investments in Icelandic banks. The Resolution Committee for Landsbanki and Glitnir and the UK administrators of Heritable and Kaupthing, Singer and Friedland Ltd. have published information on likely rates of return. Local authorities are in direct contact with these administrators.

Local Government: Cornwall

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 381W, on local government: Cornwall, what proportion of the £15.64 million of savings is estimated to relate to  (a) unitary restructuring and  (b) other factors.

Rosie Winterton: The budgeted savings are due to unitary restructuring.

Local Government: Cost Effectiveness

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets his Department has set for local authorities to make efficiency savings of each type in each of the next three years.

Barbara Follett: Local Government has a target to achieve at least 4 per cent. efficiency savings in 2010-11. Overall, we expect local authorities to achieve £5.5 billion of cumulative savings in the three years to 2010-11, of which we expect £3.2 billion to be delivered in the current year.
	No target has been set for efficiency savings to be delivered in 2011-12 or 2012-13. The 2009 pre-Budget report set out the potential for local government to make £800 million savings by 2012-13, of which: £550 million could come from more efficient waste collection and disposal, reducing the burden of inspection, assessment and reporting requirements from across government, and measures to reduce duplication and inefficiency between different tiers of local government; and £250 million from reducing variations in spend on residential care. Local government is also expected to make a significant contribution towards the £8 billion of Operational Efficiency Programme savings identified for delivery by 2012-13 in the pre-Budget report.

Local Government: Job Evaluation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) financial and  (b) other assistance his Department provides to local authorities for the purposes of undertaking the job evaluation process.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not provide financial or other assistance to local authorities for the purposes of undertaking the job evaluation process.

Local Government: Job Evaluation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department issues guidance to local authorities on responding to requests from local authority staff to  (a) delay and  (b) appeal against a result of the job evaluation process.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not issue guidance on job evaluation processes.

Local Government: National Insurance Contributions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 769W, on national insurance contributions: local government, what the estimated cost to local authorities is of the increase in employer contributions in 2011-12; and whether funding will be allocated to local authorities for the purposes of meeting the cost of that increase.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 23 February 2010,  Official Report, column 492W.

Local Government: Pay

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements there are on local authorities to publish the salaries of  (a) identified and  (b) unidentified local government employees.

Barbara Follett: Local authorities are required to disclose in their Statement of Annual Accounts details of the number of staff earning over £50,000 per annum in £10,000 bandings.
	New legislation will come into force on 31 March 2010 which will require local authorities to disclose these details in £5,000 bandings. In addition, for senior officers local authorities will be required to publish detailed remuneration information within their Statement of Annual Accounts, in the following categories:
	the total amount of salary, fees or allowances
	the total amount of bonuses paid or receivable
	the total amount of expenses allowance
	the total amount of any compensation
	the body's contribution to the person's pension
	the total estimated value of any other benefits
	'Senior' officers earning over £50,000 pro rata per annum to be listed by job title, except where officers receive over £150,000 in which case they will be named.

Local Government: Pay

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority staff earned over  (a) £50,000 a year and  (b) £100,000 a year in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally.

Local Government: Pay

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on levels of pay inflation among senior local government officers since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when he expects to reply to the email from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 18 January 2010, on the Code for Sustainable Homes publication;
	(2)  when he expects to reply to the email from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 26 January 2010, on private tenants.

Barbara Follett: Replies were sent on 25 February 2010.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when his Department next plans to publish its statistical bulletin on  (a) the Mortgage Rescue Scheme,  (b) repossessions and  (c) the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme.

John Healey: Mortgage Rescue Scheme monitoring statistics covering the January to March period are due to be published on the CLG website on Thursday 13 May 2010, as pre-announced on the UK Statistics Authority Publication Hub and the CLG Statistics Publication Schedule. This date coincides with the quarterly release of statistics on arrears and possessions and court activity by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Ministry of Justice respectively.
	For management information on Homeowners Mortgage Support I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications were made to the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme by homeowners in 2009; and how many of them have met the eligibility criteria.

John Healey: For management information on Homeowners Mortgage Support I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W.

Non-domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the maximum percentage increase in business rates in each individual year of the 2010 to 2015 rating cycle will be as a result of the transitional relief scheme for the 2010 business rates revaluation.

Barbara Follett: The 2010 Business Rates Transitional Relief scheme limits annual increases in liability resulting from revaluation, before changes in other rate reliefs have been applied to set percentages for each year. The individual caps on increases for each year of the 2010 revaluation for small and large properties is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Transitional Relief 2010 revaluation (before inflation) 
			   2010-11  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			  Upward cap  
			 Small properties 5 7.5 10 15 15 
			 Large properties 12.5 17.5 20 25 25 
			  Note:  These are year on year caps on increases. Small properties are those whose rateable value for 1 April 2010 is less than £18,000 or less than £25,500 in Greater London. 
		
	
	The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure that each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring that the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of its property relative to others. The 2010 Revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. Our £2 billion transitional relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases will ensure that in 2010-11 no business property sees its rates bill increase by more than 11 per cent. (after inflation) as a result of the revaluation, with maximum increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. (after inflation) for small properties. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.

Non-domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the minimum percentage reduction in business rates in each year of the 2010-15 rating cycle is to be as a result of the downward phasing element of the transitional relief scheme for the 2010 business rate revaluation.

Barbara Follett: The 2010 Business Rates Transitional Relief scheme limits annual increases in liability resulting from revaluation, before changes in other rate reliefs are applied by set percentages for each year. This relief is funded by limiting annual reductions in bills due to the revaluation. The individual caps on reductions for each year of the 2010 revaluation for small and large properties is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Transitional Relief 2010 revaluation (before inflation) 
			  Percentage 
			   Downward cap 
			   Small properties  Large properties 
			 2010-11 20 4.6 
			 2011-12 30 6.7 
			 2012-13 35 7 
			 2013-14 55 13 
			 2014-15 55 13 
			  Note: These are year on year caps on reductions. Small properties are those whose rateable value for 1 April 2010 is less than £18,000 or less than £25,500 in Greater London. 
		
	
	The five-yearly Business Rates Revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring that the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of its property relative to others. The 2010 Revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
	Over a million properties will see their Business Rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. Our £2 billion Transitional Relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases will ensure that in 2010-11 no business property sees its rates bill increase by more than 11 per cent. (after inflation) as a result of the revaluation, with maximum increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. (after inflation) for small properties. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.

Non-domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable he has set for the publication of data on the take-up rate of small business rate relief; and how many local authorities provided data for the survey.

Barbara Follett: The report "Small Business Rate Relief-Improving Evidence on Eligibility and Take-up" was published on 9 December 2009 and it estimates that of the approximately 1.2 million non-domestic properties in England which fall below the current rateable value (RV) thresholds for SBRR, around 575,000 are occupied by eligible small businesses. This report has been validated by an independent peer review and is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/smallbusinessmethod
	New experimental statistics on the number of hereditaments claiming SBRR were published on the Communities and Local Government website on 25 February 2010. The statistical release, entitled "Number of Hereditaments Benefiting from Small Business Rate Relief and the Number of Empty Hereditaments: Experimental Statistics" is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/sbrrfeb2010
	All billing authorities provided data on the number of hereditaments claiming SBRR; further information concerning the validation of these data is available in the 'data quality' section of the above statistical release.
	In the light of these new statistics we have updated the published estimate of take-up. Local authorities estimated that 462,000 hereditaments were benefiting from SBRR on 31 December 2008. By applying that figure to the estimated 575,000 properties on the 2005 rating list occupied by eligible small businesses, it is estimated that around 80 per cent. of those eligible were claiming SBRR in 2008-09-see table 1 as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Take-up of SBRR-numbers claiming 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Number of hereditaments actually claiming SBRR (Thousand) 396 433 462 
			 Number of hereditaments estimated to be occupied by eligible small businesses (Thousand) 575 575 575 
			 Percentage of estimated eligible actually claiming 69 75 80 
		
	
	Relief granted to small businesses has been increasing since SBRR was introduced-from £202 million in 2005-06 to £298 million in 2008-09. This represents a real terms increase of 34 per cent. Furthermore in 2008-09, 92 per cent. of the total relief that would be paid if all those estimated to be eligible were to claim, was actually being paid-see table 2 as follows:
	
		
			  Table 2: Take-up of SBRR 2005-06 to 2008-09-relief 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Total relief that would be paid out if all properties estimated to be occupied by eligible small businesses were to claim(1) (£ million) 295 300 315 325 
			 Relief actually claimed (£ million) 202 237 259 298 
			 Percentage take-up(2) 69 78 83 92 
			 (1 )For details of how this estimate was made please see the paper "Small Business Rate Relief-Improving Evidence on Eligibility and take-up: Methodology."  (2) Percentage of total relief, which would be paid if all eligible small businesses claimed it, that was actually paid. 
		
	
	The Government have already removed the requirement for small businesses to reapply for the relief annually, and are taking further action to maximise take-up by removing the requirement to reapply at revaluation. This will reduce considerably the administrative burden on both small businesses and local authorities.

Non-domestic Rates: Squatting

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether empty and incomplete dwellings illegally occupied by squatters are liable for empty property business rate  (a) discounts and  (b) exemptions.

Barbara Follett: Owners of empty dwellings may become liable to council tax but not empty property rates. Squatters occupying a dwelling that is shown in a council tax list will be liable for council tax in the same way as any other person occupying a dwelling. Incomplete dwellings are not liable to council tax unless they have been entered in a valuation list because they are deemed to be complete as a result of a completion notice; or, despite not being complete, have become dwellings by virtue of being occupied as living accommodation.

Opencast Mining: Health Hazards

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department and its predecessors have conducted on the effects on public health of opencast mining since 1997.

Ian Austin: We have conducted one piece of research. In 1999 the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne prepared a report "Do Particulates from Opencast Coal Mining Impair Children's Respiratory Health?" for the Department of Health and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
	The findings of this report were fed into the Government's policy on dust from mineral workings and associated operations, which is set out in Annex 1 to Minerals Policy Statement 2 "Controlling and Mitigating the Environmental Effects of Minerals extraction in England". This annex was published in 2005.

Political Impartiality

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has granted requests from its employees for permission to stand as a candidate in local government elections due to take place in 2010.

Barbara Follett: Information relating to requests from employees for permission to stand as a candidate in local government elections is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Houses: Government Assistance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to assist public houses to avoid closure;
	(2)  what the responsibilities are of the Minister for Housing and Planning in relation to public houses.

John Healey: Ministers recognise the important role pubs can play in maintaining community life and there is concern across Government about the number of community pubs that have been forced to close during the recession. The Department of Communities and Local Government is working with a range of Government Departments to develop a package of measures to support community pubs.
	Government action cannot sustain pubs that are fundamentally unviable but it is right to do everything possible to support those pubs that play an important community role. We will announce this package shortly.

Right to Buy Scheme

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will increase the thresholds at which Right to Buy discounts are capped.

John Healey: We have no plans to change the current Right to Buy discount limits.

Social Rented Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to  (a) the Homes and Communities Agency,  (b) the Tenant Services Authority and  (c) registered social landlords on local supply chain procurement in the last 12 months.

John Healey: The Office of Government commerce is responsible for issuing general guidance to the public sector on procurement.

Supporting People Programme

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2010,  Official Report, column 255W, on supporting people programme, what representations he has received from  (a) local authorities and  (b) registered social landlords on non-renewal of supporting people contracts.

Barbara Follett: The Department has continual engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities and representatives of registered social landlords about the Supporting People Programme. While this may include issues concerning commissioning and contracts, it is for local authorities to make decisions about the renewal of contracts for the Supporting People Programme based on their strategic assessments of their areas' particular needs.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer Question 314659 on intentionally homeless households with children, tabled on 27 January 2010.

Ian Austin: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 24 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 613-4W.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Grants

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1675W, on adult learning grants, what the average duration of claims for adult learning grants is amongst each age group; what the cost was of paying the adult learning grant to each age group in 2008-09; what the  (a) mean and  (b) median annual payment of the adult learning grant was in 2008-09 for each age group; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Data requested are provided for the 2008/09 academic year. This complements the data provided in my answer to the hon. Member on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1675W, which was also for the 2008/09 academic year.
	
		
			  2008/09 ALG recipients 
			 Annual payment (£) 
			  Age groups  Average claim duration (weeks)  Total  cost (£)  Mean  Median 
			 19 to 25 32.20 17,478,690 674.8529 720 
			 26 to 30 31.58 1,105,200 697.7273 750 
			 31+ 31.74 2,121,870 736.5047 810

Apprentices: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of small and medium-sized businesses in Leeds North West constituency which are employing apprentices.

Kevin Brennan: Information is not currently available on the size of the employer for apprentices. For the 2009-10 academic year, this information will become available on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) when a unique employer identifier will have to be provided by all employers of apprentices.
	We can provide an estimate of the size of employers, nationally, that offer and have recruited apprentices from the National Employers Skills Survey (NESS). These data are based on repeated surveys of up to 79,000 employers across all business sectors in England. Table 2 shows information from the published 2007 National Employer Skills survey(1) on the number of organisations that had any staff undertaking an apprenticeship in the 12 months prior to interview, by size of employer.
	
		
			  Table 2: Percentage of e mployers that had any staff undertaking an  a pprenticeship in the last 12 months (NESS 2007) 
			   All employers  Number of employees or employer 
			2-4  5-24  25-99  100-199  200-499  500+ 
			 Employers that had any staff undertaking an apprenticeship over the previous 12 months (NESS 2007) (%) 8 5 10 15 18 25 33 
			 (1) http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-nessurvey2007mainreport-may08.pdf accessed on 4 February 2010.

Apprentices: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many modern apprenticeships have been started in Leeds North West constituency since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the number of Apprenticeship starts in Leeds North West parliamentary constituency from academic year 2003-04 onwards, the earliest year for which comparable data is available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts in Leeds North West parliamentary constituency, 2003-04 to 2008-09. 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Leeds North West Parliamentary Constituency 190 160 160 190 240 220 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for Leeds North West Parliamentary Constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures include Apprenticeships, Advanced Apprenticeships and Higher Level Apprenticeships.  Source Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts by Parliamentary Constituency, Local Authority, Government Office Region and for England is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December, and re-issued on 21 January to include provisional national estimates of the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements in the first quarter of 2009-10:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09

Apprentices: Pay

David Davis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what the average starting salary is for students who have completed an apprenticeship through the National Apprenticeship Service;
	(2)  what the average annual earnings are for students undertaking an apprenticeship through the National Apprenticeship Service.

Kevin Brennan: Data on salaries of apprentices completing an apprenticeship framework are not available.
	A survey of the pay of apprentices "Apprenticeship Pay: 2007 Survey of Earnings by sector"-DIUS Research Report 08 05, showed that the average net pay for an apprentice in England in 2007 was £170 per week. The report is available at:
	http://www.dius.gov.uk/research_and_analysis/apprenticeship _pay

Broadband: South West

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to facilitate the provision in the South West of the access to broadband internet services as outlined in the Digital Britain report.

Stephen Timms: Since the publication of the Digital Britain Report, the Department has been working to ensure the delivery model for the Universal Service Commitment and the Next Generation project is appropriate. We hope to undertake the procurement exercise for the Universal Service Commitment by the autumn. This will help bring broadband access of 2 Mbps to every area in the UK by 2012, including the south-west.
	We are aiming to legislate for the Landline Duty in the Finance Bill, and are currently consulting on the use of the Next Generation Fund in order to incentivise the market to deliver next generation broadband to 90 per cent. of UK households by 2017.

Business: Government Assistance

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on the  (a) Accessing International Markets,  (b) Grant for Business and Investment,  (c) Export Credit Insurance,  (d) Maximising Foreign Direct Insurance,  (e) Developing Your International Trade Potential,  (f) Business Collaboration Networks,  (g) Business Premises,  (h) Business Growth Specialist Facilities and Environments,  (i) Starting a Business,  (j) Intensive Start-up Support,  (k) Starting a High Growth Business,  (l) Manufacturing Advisory Service,  (m) Designing Demand,  (n) Innovation Advice and Guidance,  (o) Coaching for High Growth,  (p) Small Loans for Business,  (q) Understanding Finance for Business,  (r) Finance for Business,  (s) Collaborative Research and Development,  (t) Networking for Innovation,  (u) Knowledge Transfer Partnerships,  (v) Innovation Vouchers,  (w) Low Carbon Energy Demonstration,  (x) Improving Your Resource Efficiency and  (y) Grant for Research and Development scheme in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09; and how many businesses have received assistance from that scheme in each of those years.

Patrick McFadden: These questions are currently under consideration by the regional development agencies following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford. He will be notified when the FOI has been answered and copies of the responses will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many performance reviews were undertaken in respect of staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its predecessors in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a direct result of such a rating; and what percentage of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) ceased to exist on 5 June 2009 when the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was created from the merger of BERR and the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). Each Department had a separate staff appraisal system.
	The number of staff performance reviews undertaken for former staff in BERR is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of staff performance reviews undertaken  Number of cases where performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below 
			 1 April 2004 to  31 March 2005 4,316 (1)- 
			
			 1 April 2005 to  31 March 2006 4,382 (1)- 
			
			 1 April 2006 to  31 March 2007 3,377 (1)- 
			
			 1 April 2007 to  31 March 2008 2,938 0 
			
			 1 April 2008 to  31 March 2009 2,798 0 
			 (1) The total is less than five and has been suppressed on the grounds of confidentiality. 
		
	
	The number of staff performance reviews undertaken for former staff in DIUS for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 is 753. BIS does not have access to information on the number of cases where performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below in DIUS, nor how many staff left as a direct result.
	The BIS performance appraisal system involves the individual (jobholder) and line manager engaging in a continuous dialogue throughout a reporting year. Performance and development objectives are agreed at the start of a reporting year. There are informal and formal opportunities to discuss progress and challenges with a written record of outcomes agreed at the end of the reporting year.
	It is the responsibility of line managers to manage and maintain the performance of their staff at, or above, an acceptable standard. Where it is believed that an individual's performance has reached a level that is unacceptable, then the situation is managed in accordance with the Department's poor performance procedures and guidance.
	The Civil Service Management Code sets outs regulations and instructions to Departments and agencies regarding the terms and conditions of service of civil servants and the delegations which have been made by the Minister for the Civil Service under the Civil Service (Management of Functions) Act 1992 together with the conditions attached to those delegations.
	It is a requirement under the code that all staff are subject to performance reviews and that Departments and agencies must have procedures in place to deal with inefficiency/poor performance.
	6.2.1 of the code deals with staff in the delegated grades; 6.2.5, non-delegated (i.e. the SCS). The code is available at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/rcsources/csmc/index.aspx

Departmental Official Hospitality

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on Ministerial hospitality in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06,  (c) 2006-07 and  (d) 2007-08, expressed in current prices.

Patrick McFadden: The amounts spent on ministerial hospitality are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004/05 17,071.11 
			 2005/06 17,102.17 
			 2006/07 6,282.69 
			 2007/08 17,194.12 
		
	
	The above costs principally relate to conferences and receptions for key stakeholders.

Departmental Recruitment

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many job vacancies in his Department and its agencies were filled through external recruitment in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: There were 34 job vacancies that were filled through external recruitment in the last 12 months. This number includes all types of payroll vacancies apart from those recruited on short-term casual contracts as this data is not collated centrally.
	The Department of Business Innovation and Skills was formed in June 2009. The data we have provided relate to 1 April 2009 to March 2010 financial year which includes the former Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) only. We do not have data relating to the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) as their external recruitment was delivered by another Government Department.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Tim Moss:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 29 January 2010, UIN 315289, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House filled 23 job vacancies through external recruitment in the last 12 months.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed:
	The Minister of State, for the Department Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question how many job vacancies in his Department and its agencies were filled through external recruitment in the last 12 months.
	In the Insolvency Service, 273 job vacancies were filled through external recruitment during the last 12 months.
	 Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 4 February 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 29 January 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Since 1 February 2009 the Intellectual Property Office has carried out 23 external recruitment exercises for 26 vacancies.
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 4 February 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 29 January 2010 asking the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking how many job vacancies were filled through external recruitment in the last 12 months.
	We have filled four vacancies following external recruitment exercises during this period, in all cases following an unsuccessful attempt to fill the post by advertising within the Civil Service.

Departmental Theft

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many thefts from his Department have been recorded in the last two years.

Patrick McFadden: During the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009, 207 items were reported as missing on this Department's and its predecessors central London estate. The Department records items as missing as it is not always possible to prove theft as the reason for the loss of items and many items reported are subsequently found.
	The figure includes small, low value personal items.

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the travel guidance issued to staff of each of his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Patrick McFadden: I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to my hon. Friend directly.
	Travel guidance issued to the staff of the Department's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	For travel guidance issued to NDPB staff, the chief executive of each body should be contacted. A list of the Department's NDPBs can be found at the following link, under BERR's and DIUS's public bodies directories 2009:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/aboutus/corporate/performance/annual-spending/page27140.html
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 26 February 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 28 January 2010, UIN 314926 to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House follows the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published guidelines for its own travel guidance issued to staff.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 26 February 2010:
	The Minister of State, for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has asked me to reply to your question if he will publish the travel guidance issued to staff of each of his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
	Travel guidance is in the Insolvency Service staff handbook (Employment Matters) and this is published on the Intranet. It is planned that this will also be published on the Insolvency Service's Internet site within the next six weeks in accordance with the Freedom of Information publishing requirements.
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 26 February 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 28 January asking the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, about the travel guidance issued to staff in the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
	Please find attached the travel guidance issued to NMO staff.
	 NMO Guidance on Managing and Authorizing Staff Travel
	 Managing and authorising staff travel
	The nature of the Agency's work means that there is a need for some staff to undertake business travel on occasions.
	Given the substantial impact that travel costs have on the Agency's budget, and to minimise environmental damage through CO2 emissions, business travel should be kept to a minimum.
	Budget Holders, line managers, staff and finance all have a role to play and this section sets out these roles.
	 Budget Holders
	The role of Budget holders, in particular Business Team Managers, is to make sure that:
	budget estimates for travel and subsistence are based on a critical and realistic assessment of need
	line managers work within the budget ceiling
	there is flexibility in the allocation of funds between line managers
	regular information is made available to enable effective management of staff travel.
	staff take full advantage of the services and discounts available from departmental travel providers.
	 Line managers
	Line managers are responsible for:
	day-to-day authorisation of travel requests (where they have specific delegated authority)
	day-to-day approval of claims
	keeping the cost of travel and subsistence within their delegated authorities
	deciding who carries out particular tasks involving travel
	communicating the need to plan travel responsibly and minimise travel costs.
	As part of their role line managers need to consider whether travelling is really necessary to meet specific work objectives.
	If travel is absolutely necessary, particular attention should be paid to:
	the number and grades of staff travelling
	the frequency and duration of travel.
	Line managers are responsible for deciding who carries out specific travel-related activities, and should ensure that travel is conducted by the most suitable method available, with consideration for the cost incurred and the environmental impact.
	Line managers should use the information on claim forms to check:
	the agreed method of travel was used
	allowances claimed are correct and comply with departmental rules
	overall costs (in time and money) were kept to a minimum.
	Line managers must make sure that staff:
	inform them of the purpose and details of all visits in advance of booking travel, to help control costs
	plan travel efficiently, for instance arranging a full day's appointments in one location
	rather than visit on two successive part-days
	plan itineraries to reduce costs and/or mileage
	book early to secure whatever cheaper fares are available and take advantage of offers available through recognised booking agents and operators
	 Travellers and travel bookers
	Travellers and travel bookers must make sure that any staff travel arrangements make the best overall use of official time, fares and subsistence. It is the responsibility of the traveller to ensure that they have adequate funds, the correct form is completed (with receipts attached) and to obtain authorisation before submitting to finance for payment. Payment may be delayed if the form is not completed adequately.
	In order to choose the most appropriate method of travel, travellers should bear in mind the following:
	Staff who would normally qualify for first-class rail travel should consider travelling second class where the dearer fare offers no practical advantage, eg for short journeys and for longer journeys on routes which are known not to be crowded.
	For staff required to travel 6500 miles or more by car each year it is as cheap to provide a lease car as to pay standard rate mileage allowance. For staff with an annual mileage of 9000 miles and above, a lease car can provide savings of up to a third.
	Self-drive hire as a short-term measure may sometimes be the most economical option.
	Taxis can be cost-effective for short journeys. Used discriminately, they can save much official time, especially with more than one person travelling. However, travellers should make sensible choices based on comparisons with available public transport before opting for travel by taxi.
	Car sharing will substantially reduce travel costs.
	For longer journeys travel by air is usually cheaper, taking into account savings in travelling time and overnight subsistence. Similarly, overnight sleeper services can cut travel costs.
	Where there is a need to work on a Journey rail travel offers advantages which may outweigh the savings from cheaper forms of travel
	All staff should try and share examples of best practice.
	 Finance
	It is the responsibility of the Finance team to:
	check that claims follow guidance and that they have received all the necessary documentation required to make payment and to enable the correct Business Team and service to be charged-and follow up any insufficient documentation;
	keep records for audit purposes: and
	make payment.
	 Letter from John Alty, dated 1 March 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 28 January 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is a Trading Fund and Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The IPO publishes its travel guidance to staff via its staff handbook, on its internal intranet site.

Early Retirement

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) males and  (b) females who have taken involuntary early retirement in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), estimates that five people in the Department have taken involuntary early retirement in the last 12 months but further details cannot be given on the grounds of confidentiality.

Flexible Working: Carers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have applied to their employer for flexible working arrangements to assist them with their caring responsibilities in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The new employment rights introduced in April 2003 gave parents of children under six and disabled children under 18 the right to request flexible working; this was extended to carers in April 2007 and parents of children aged 16 and under in April 2009. There are no requirements for either employers or employees to notify the department when requests are made to work flexibly. The department does not have the requested information for the past 12 months, nor does the department have evidence on the number of requests accepted or rejected by carers since 2007.
	However, the department conducts periodic sample surveys to estimate the proportions of employees making requests to change their regular working hours and the proportion of such requests accepted or rejected. The most recent employee survey (Third Work Life Balance Employees' Survey) was conducted in 2006, before the implementation of the extension of the right to request to carers. Table 1 presents the findings from the 2006 Survey.
	Employees with parental responsibilities (defined as having dependent children aged under 19). In 2006, 20 per cent. of working parents (employees with dependent children undue nine years old) had made a request to change their regular working pattern during the previous two years, and 80% of requests had been accepted.
	Employees with adult caring responsibilities (defined as looking after sick, disabled or elderly adults). In 2006, 26 per cent. of employees with adult caring responsibilities had made a request to change their working pattern, with 79 per cent. of requests accepted (11 per cent. rejected).
	
		
			  Table 1: Request made to employer to change how they work at some point over previous two years, employees; Outcome of request by parental status and adult caring responsibilities 
			  (percentage) 
			   Request made to change how regularly worked during the previous two years( 1)  Requests accepted by employer( 2 ) (fully and partially)  Request declined by employer( 3) 
			 All employees 17 78 17 
			 Employees with dependent children(4) 20 80 17 
			 Adult carers(5) (employees) 26 79 11 
			 (1) Over the last two years, have you approached your current employer to make a request to change how you regularly work for a sustained period of time (2) Was your request to change the way you regularly work agreed to? (3) Not all requests had an outcome by the time of the survey (4) Parental status is defined in the survey as having dependent children aged 18 or less;' Adult carers are defined as people who look after adults who are sick, disabled or elderly, whether they live with the carer or not  Source:  Third Work-Life Balance Survey 2006. ( 2,081 employees across Great Britain)

Fujitsu: Industrial Disputes

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has received representations on the recent dispute between Fujitsu and Fujitsu employees on redundancies, levels of pay and company pensions policy.

Patrick McFadden: The Department has received a small number of letters about the rationalisation programme announced by Fujitsu Services last August, and the related dispute with some of its employees. The resolution of a dispute is a matter for the parties concerned, with the assistance of ACAS available, where both parties request their intervention.

Further and Higher Education: Admissions

Frank Field: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many places there were in  (a) further and  (b) higher education institutions in academic year 2008-09.

David Lammy: holding answer 26 February 2010
	In 2008/09 academic year (provisional), 4,756,600 learners participated in Learning and Skills Council funded learning (excluding Higher Education and school sixth forms).(1)
	In 2008/09 there were 2,005,845 students enrolled at English Higher Education Institutions (including the Open University).(2)
	 Source s :
	(1) Individualised Learner Record. Includes participation in further education provision, Apprenticeships, Train to Gain, Adult Safeguarded Learning and University for Industry.
	(2) Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Further Education: Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to simplify the arrangements for funding of colleges; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: As set out in "Skills for Growth" (November 2009), the Government are committed to simplifying the further education (FE) and skills landscape. We will reduce the number of separate publicly-funded agencies, and the funding and monitoring of FE colleges will be undertaken through a simpler and lighter touch approach.
	From April 2010, the Skills Funding Agency will have responsibility for allocating and delivering funding to colleges to support the training of adults (aged 19 and over). Each college and training organisation funded through the Skills Funding Agency will have a single contact point through their account manager.
	From 2010/11 academic year there will be greater flexibility for colleges and training organisations in managing post 19 funding within budget streams.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department paid to the Government Car and Despatch Agency in each of the last five years; how much it has spent on such payments in 2009-10; and what proportion of such payments was made in respect of the Government Car Service.

Patrick McFadden: This Department and its predecessors have paid the following amounts to the Government Car and Despatch Agency for the use of the Government Mail Service:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2004/05 271.7 
			 2005/06 256.7 
			 2006/07 235.2 
			 2007/08 283.9 
			 2008/09 276.9 
			 2009/10(1) 241.5 
			 (1 )To end January. 
		
	
	Costs of ministerial cars are reported annually to Parliament by my noble Friend the Secretary of State for Transport through written ministerial statement and are available in the Libraries of the House.

Hotels

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on hotel accommodation for  (a) Ministers,  (b) special advisers and  (c) civil servants in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: Following a machinery of government change the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was formed in June 2009. The following figures relate to the Departments before the merger.
	The amount spent by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on hotel accommodation for in each of the last five years was:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004/05 881,845 
			 2005/06 959,798 
			 2006/07 929,210 
			 2007/08 1,051,965 
			 2008/09 1,769,921 
		
	
	The figures include Department of Trade and Industry spend until it was disbanded in June 2007.
	The amount spent by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills on hotel accommodation since it was formed in 2007 was:
	
		
			   £ 
			 July 2007 to March 2008 106,608 
			 2008/09 256,885 
		
	
	Travel by Ministers, civil servants and special advisers are undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively.
	The Department does not separately record overnight accommodation from that of officials-to provide this information would entail disproportionate costs.
	Cabinet Office provides an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. These can be accessed at
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx
	The list for 2008-09 was published on 16 July. This and earlier lists are available in the Libraries of the House.

Hotels

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many separate bookings for stays at five star or above hotels were made through the Expotel contract by his Department in the last year for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Patrick McFadden: Following a machinery of government change the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was formed in June 2009. The following figures include former BERR and DIUS before the merger.
	
		
			  The number of bookings for stays at five star and above hotels made through the Expotel contract for the period January to December 2009 
			  Number of bookings  Cost (£) 
			 297 43,070 
			  Note: Figures include overseas bookings 
		
	
	Wherever possible Expotel will book accommodation within indicative rates set by the Department; this may include five star hotels which have special offers available and fall within these rates.
	All expenditure incurred is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook.

Insolvency

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what record  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies keep of fees paid to insolvency practitioners.

Patrick McFadden: The Department does not record details of the fees paid to insolvency practitioners.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 8 February 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 28 January 2010, UIN 315180, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House has no record of any fees paid to Insolvency Practitioners.
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 15 February 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 29 January 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills asking what record is kept of fees paid to insolvency practitioners.
	The nature of the National Measurement Office's business, and that of its predecessor the National Weights & Measures Laboratory, means that there should be no need to pay any fees to insolvency practitioners, and there are no records of us having done so. Should there be occasion to pay such fees we would expect to register them separately in our accounting records through the creation of a new account code.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 2 February 2010:
	The Minister of State, for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has asked me to reply to your question what record (a) his Department and (b) its agencies keeps of fees paid to insolvency practitioners.
	In corporate insolvencies, the officeholder is required to file receipts and payments accounts or statement of accounts with the Registrar of Companies. In Individual Voluntary Arrangements, the Supervisor is required to send a final receipts and payments account to the Secretary of State.
	This information is not extracted or collated into a central record.
	 Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 2 February 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 29 January 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office maintains records of all payments and has paid no fees to insolvency practitioners.

Leave: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of residents of  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point who qualify for paid leave entitlements.

Patrick McFadden: All workers resident in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point qualify for paid annual leave entitlements. The statutory minimum as set out in the working time regulations is at least 5.6 weeks.
	Numbers of workers resident in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point are not available. However, according to the Annual Business Inquiry Employee Analysis by the Office for National Statistics, there were a total of 517,900 employees who worked in Essex and 19,300 in Castle Point (but did not necessarily live there) in 2008, who would all qualify for paid annual leave entitlement.

Maternity Leave: Feltham

Alan Keen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what percentage of women resident in Feltham and Heston constituency have taken 26 weeks maternity leave since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: From April 2007 all employed mothers are entitled to 52 weeks maternity leave, of which 39 may be paid. Employers are not required to record or report the uptake of maternity leave to the Government. No figures are available at the constituency level.
	The most recent estimates of take-up of maternity leave are based on the DWP 'Maternity Rights and Mothers' employment decisions in Britain: Survey of Mothers' (2007). In 2006, when mothers included in the study went on maternity leave, the statutory entitlement to ordinary maternity leave (OML) was 26 weeks, while mothers who had worked for their employer for a qualifying period of 26 weeks were also entitled to additional maternity leave (AML) of 26 weeks. For mothers taking maternity leave in 2006:
	84 per cent. took 26 weeks or more maternity leave;
	35 per cent. took exactly 26 weeks maternity leave;
	46 per cent. of mothers took between 27 and 52 weeks and only 3 per cent. were off for more than 52 weeks;
	16 per cent of mothers took less than the statutory minimum entitlement (i.e. 26 weeks in 2006).
	The next 'Maternity Rights' survey will be based on mothers who took maternity leave starting in summer 2008. It is due to report in 2010.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 23 November 2009 on the future of Cadbury.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 26 February 2010
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay. My colleague the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Regulatory Reform has responded today, as the matter falls within his portfolio.

Minimum Wage: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point who have been paid at the rate of the national minimum wage since its introduction.

Patrick McFadden: Data for earnings are not available at the county or constituency level because of small sample sizes at these levels in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
	Due to rounding in the conversion of payroll data into hourly wage rates and small sample sizes for 16 to 17 and 18 to 21-year-olds in ASHE, it is not possible at the regional level to infer the number of employees earning exactly at the national minimum wage (NMW) with sufficient certainty. However it is possible to estimate the number who were paid at or below the NMW.
	At the Government office region level the most recent figure from BIS analysis of the 2009 ASHE indicates the number of jobholders who were paid at or below the NMW in April 2009 in the east of England region was 64,000.

Music: Copyright

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Government response to the consultation on changes to exemptions from public performance rights in sound recordings and performers' rights, and pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip Northwood of 1 February 2010,  Official Report, column 101W, on religious practice: buildings, whether recorded music used in divine service such as funerals, baptisms and weddings by  (a) the Church of England and  (b) places of religious worship certified by the Registrar General under the Places of Religious Worship Act 1855 will require a public performance licence under the proposed Option 1 changes; and what role he has played in the consideration of these changes.

David Lammy: The proposed changes to the current charitable statutory exemptions for the public performance of recorded and broadcast music will apply to music used in divine worship by the Church of England or places of worship as certified. However, as part of this process, Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), the organisation who license the public performance and broadcast of sound recordings, have agreed to implement a voluntary exemption for the use of broadcast and recorded music not only as part of divine worship anywhere but also for all religious ceremonies, civil ceremonies and civil partnership ceremonies; domestic/family occasions such as wedding parties; residential homes/hospices (not including staff areas); hospital wards and medical therapy.
	The Government fully consulted on this matter, taking into account legal advice and an impact assessment prepared by Europe Economics, and negotiated a number of safeguards including a system of joint licensing, a code of practice and an independent complaints ombudsman. I have been involved at all key stages of the consultation and officials have kept me informed throughout. I considered this matter extensively before writing to the Economic Development Committee on 2 July 2009 for clearance. I received clearance for the publication of the Government response and the proposed repeal of the charitable exemptions on 24 July 2009.

Qualifications: North East

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the working age population in  (a) Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency,  (b) Newcastle upon Tyne,  (c) Tyne and Wear and  (d) the North East region (i) had no qualifications, (ii) were qualified to level 2 and (iii) were qualified to level 4 in (A) 2001 and (B) each year since 2004.

Kevin Brennan: The table shows the proportion of the working age population in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear Local Education Authority, and the North East region qualified to at least level 4, 3, 2, below Level 2 and with no qualifications.
	These estimates are taken from the Annual Population Survey (APS). The APS sample is not large enough to provide estimates for smaller geographies such as constituencies, but it is suitable for Local Education Areas estimates. However, please note that these estimates are subject to sampling variability and should therefore be treated with caution and viewed in conjunction with their Confidence Intervals (CIs), which indicate how accurate an estimate is. For example, a CI of +/- 2.7 percentage points (pp) means that the true value is between 2.7pp above the estimate and 2.7pp below the estimate.
	Estimates of qualification levels in regions and local areas from 2000 to 2008 are published on the Further Education Data Service website at:
	http://www.thedataservice.org/uk/NR/rdonlyres/AC4DC94B-54F2-4F31-A7FF-E4E08C2210C4/0/TABLES FORWEBAPSsupplementarytablesbroken downbylocallevelrevised25Aug.xls
	The 2009 estimates are due to be published in July this year.
	
		
			  Table 1: Highest qualification of population aged 16 to 59/64 (percentages) 
			  Proportion with highest qualification level at:  Area  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2008 95 per cent. Confidence Interval (percentage points) 
			 Level 4 or above North East 18.5 19.4 20.8 21.9 21.4 22.7 24.3 23.9 +/- 0.8 
			  Newcastle Upon Tyne 25.0 26.0 28.0 26.9 24.6 27.9 30.4 27.3 +/- 27 
			  Tyne and Wear 19.0 20.6 21.5 21.6 21.1 23.0 25.1 24.1 +/- 1.2 
			
			 Level 3 or above North East 37.8 38.7 39.7 41.0 41.2 43.6 45.0 44.8 +/- 0.9 
			  Newcastle Upon Tyne 43.9 46.7 47.2 45.4 44.3 51.2 52.6 52.0 +/- 3.0 
			  Tyne and Wear 38.3 40.4 40.4 40.7 40.6 42.7 45.4 45.3 +/- 1.4 
			
			 Level 2 or above North East 60.2 61.5 62.0 63.9 65.5 67.2 68.5 68.7 +/- 0.8 
			  Newcastle Upon Tyne 63.6 67.3 65.1 64.6 66.2 70.8 70.1 71.1 +/- 2.7 
			  Tyne and Wear 60.8 63.1 61.8 63.2 65.0 66.1 68.5 68.5 +/- 1.3 
			
			 Below level 2 North East 20.1 20.1 20.2 19.1 19.1 18.7 17.7 17.9 +/- 0.7 
			  Newcastle Upon Tyne 16.8 14.8 16.9 16.2 17.6 16.9 16.5 15.6 +/- 2.2 
			  Tyne and Wear 19.8 19.6 20.7 19.6 20.2 19.4 17.8 18.1 +/- 1.1 
			
			 No qualifications North East 19.7 18.3 17.9 17.0 15.4 14.2 13.8 13.4 +/- 0.6 
			  Newcastle Upon Tyne 19.6 17.8 18.0 19.2 16.2 12.3 13.3 13.3 +/- 2.0 
			  Tyne and Wear 19.4 17.3 17.5 17.2 14.8 14.5 13.7 13.4 +/- 0.9 
			  Base: 16 to 59/64-year-olds.  Source: Annual Population Survey

Skilled Workers: Construction

Terry Rooney: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote the Construction Skills Certification Scheme.

Ian Lucas: The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) is an industry initiative. The Government welcome the scheme's aims which are to improve competence and good health and safety practice in the construction industry, and to encourage the achievement of relevant formal qualifications by industry employees. The construction pages on the Department's website refer to the work of the CSCS and equivalent schemes and provides a link to the CSCS website. That said, the Government have no role in setting the scheme's rules, and do not undertake promotional activity for the scheme.

Snow and Ice

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department arising from the severe weather conditions in the period 4 to 18 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: This Department considers that it had only notional costs arising from the severe weather conditions for the period from 2 January to 18 January 2010, and has not made any calculations.

CABINET OFFICE

Census

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2010,  Official Report, column 310W, on Census: training, what the provisional number of specialist field staff is who will be trained to caution people under the Police and Criminal Evidence Code of Practice for Interview provisions.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck:
	As the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2010, Official Report, column 310W, on Census: training, what the provisional number of specialist field staff is who will be trained to caution people under the Police and Criminal Evidence Code of Practice for Interview provisions. (318303)
	The provisional number of specialist field staff who will be trained to caution people under the Police and Criminal Evidence Code of Practice for Interview provisions is 60, although this number is currently under review.

Census

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2010,  Official Report, column 796, on the 2011 census, if she will place in the Library the evidential basis for the statement that the value of the Census is £700 million; and by what methodology such evidence was gathered.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated February 2010:
	As the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2010,  Official Report, column 796, on the 2011 Census, whether the evidential basis for the statement that the value of the census is £700 million will be placed in the Library; and by what methodology such evidence was gathered. (318329)
	The quantified benefit of the census is currently estimated to be £750 million. However, this is considered to be a very significant under-estimate. A full business case for the 2011 Census has been produced and scrutinised by HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce. It is due to be published this Spring and will be available on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website. The business case clearly demonstrates the unique value of the census, and that the benefits of having the information far outweigh the costs of its collection and processing and formed the basis for the Minister's statement.
	ONS provided further information on this point to the Lord's Committee on the Merits of Statutory Instruments in October 2009 when the Committee examined the Draft Census (England and Wales) Order 2009, which was included in their 29th Report of Session 2008-2009 (Appendix 1) published on 5 November 2009. The relevant sections of this stated that:
	A wide range of users rely heavily on census results for a countless range of purposes. The six broad purposes for which they use census data are:
	resource allocation;
	targeting investment;
	service planning;
	policy making and monitoring;
	academic and market research; and
	as a benchmark for other National Statistics.
	Extensive work has been undertaken to quantify the benefits of the census in financial terms. For example, if census data were not available, the £82 billion allocated each year by the Department of Health to each Primary Care Trust (PCT), would be based on data using existing information available within the NHS. Detailed analysis has shown that using such lower quality data sources would result in over £800 million being misallocated per year, with some individual PCTs gaining, or losing, to the tune of millions of pounds. Clearly, the net cost to HM Treasury of such misallocation would be zero, but the costs to society would be significant, resulting in significant discrepancies in the services available in different areas. Clearly, attributing a financial value to this cost to society is very difficult, but using standard economic methods that work on the premise that "a pound in your pocket is worth more if you're poor than if you're rich," a cost to society of £600 million over the decade has been estimated. Adding in similar quantified benefits for funding allocations to local authorities from the Department for Communities and Local Government, and private sector benefits (assessed through improved decision making about the location of retail stores and the use of census data by market researchers) the quantified benefits of the census amount to over £750 million over the decade between censuses.
	Furthermore these quantified benefits relate to only three of the six types of use of census data. When considering that over 500 organisations responded to the census topics consultation, that there are a further three very significant key uses of census data and that the Online Neighbourhood Statistics Service (just one route of access to census data) has over 100,000 hits per month, the unquantified benefits will be very substantial.
	The quantified discounted benefit of circa £750 million is therefore considered to be a very significant under-estimate.

Charities: Registration

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what categories of charity are exempt from registration.

Angela Smith: Within England and Wales, three categories of charity are not currently required to register with the Charity Commission:
	Small charities with an annual income of below £5,000.
	Excepted charities with an income below £100,000 are regulated by, but not registered with, the Charity Commission (although there is provision in the Charities Act 2006 for them to register voluntarily). The main groups of these charities are Parochial Church Councils, churches from certain Christian religious denominations, local scout and guide groups, and armed forces service non-public funds. Exception is conferred by Order of the Commission or the Secretary of State.
	Exempt charities, which are not registered with the Charity Commission and are currently not subject to the regulatory jurisdiction of the Charity Commission. Examples of such charities include universities, Boards of Trustees of certain museums and galleries, Kew Gardens, and charitable Industrial and Provident Societies. Most categories of exempt charities are defined by Schedule 2 to the Charities Act 1993 ("the 1993 Act"). In a few cases, exempt status has been conferred on some charities by other Acts of Parliament.
	The Charities Act 2006 contains provisions to improve the regulation of exempt charities as charities. Some groups of exempt charities will remain exempt but with an existing "principal regulator" promoting charity law compliance. Other groups of exempt charities will cease to be exempt and will become excepted charities.

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many job vacancies were advertised on the Civil Service Online service in the last 12 months; and how many such vacancies were advertised on the  (a) public and  (b) internal part of that site.

Angela Smith: Government Departments and executive agencies have delegated responsibility for recruitment advertising. Departments and agencies determine whether a vacancy should be advertised internally within the civil service or externally.
	During the period 22 February 2009 and 21 February 2010 a total of 15,482 vacancies have been advertised on the Civil Service Online service, of which 9,860 vacancies have been advertised to the public and 5,622 have been advertised internally on the site.

Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay

Michael Fallon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reasons the Defence Police Federation has not been consulted on proposed changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Tessa Jowell: My statement of 3 February,  Official Report, column 11WS-13WS, announced changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and the process which led up to those changes. The Cabinet Office invited comments on its original proposals in July 2009 and received responses from the Defence Police Federation as well as from over 18,000 civil servants, unions, employers and others; the points made in all these submissions were considered in drawing up the Government's revised reforms. The Cabinet Office has also held discussions at a national level with the Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) in line with established practice. The Secretary of State for Defence wrote to the General Secretary of the Defence Police Federation in September 2009 proposing he discuss with the Secretary of the CCSU involving the Federation in national consultations (while recognising that the Federation is an independent staff association rather than a trade union).

Departmental Energy

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps  (a) her Department and  (b) the Prime Minister's Office has plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Angela Smith: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of Cabinet Office.
	The Cabinet Office will be participating in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Departmental Leave

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip Northwood of 2 February 2010,  Official Report, column 312W, on civil servants: leave, what the standard allocation of days leave was for a civil servant in the Cabinet Office, in terms of  (a) annual leave,  (b) bank holidays and  (c) privilege days in 2008-09.

Angela Smith: The leave allowance for all civil servants in the Cabinet Office is  (a) annual leave 30 days,  (b) bank holidays eight days and  (c) privilege days two and a half days.

Departmental Pay

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Downing Street staff received a bonus payment in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09.

Angela Smith: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 10 February 2010,  Official Report, column 1061W, and to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 2 July 2007,  Official Report, column 901W.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much was spent on the  (a) buildings and  (b) insurance of buildings and staff of the Leader of the House's Office in each of the last four years.

Angela Smith: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons occupies space in 26 Whitehall and forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office estate. It is not possible to separately identify building costs attributed solely to the Leader's office.
	The Cabinet Office acts as its own insurer.

Departmental Publications

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost to the public purse was of  (a) printing,  (b) distributing and  (c) producing the text of document Putting the frontline first: smarter Government; and what the cost to the public purse was of the promotion of that document.

Angela Smith: The total printing and production costs of Smarter Government were £37,292 including the distribution of hard copies to Parliament and the Stationery Office. A bespoke multimedia website was also designed at a cost of £6,972.54. The content was produced internally by civil servants, and it is not possible to disaggregate this cost from the cost of other work undertaken by these officials. The only promotion costs incurred were the printing of two banners at £792.

Departmental Security

David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what security measures her Department plans to put in place in respect of its internal cloud computing system.

Angela Smith: Cabinet Office does not have an internal cloud computing system. Information Communication Technology (ICT) provision for the Cabinet Office is via the Government Flex system which provides a suite of conventional services that meet the security requirements of the Cabinet Office.
	As part of the Government ICT Strategy published in January 2010, the Cabinet Office is developing the high level vision and design for a future Government Cloud (G-Cloud). The security measures necessary to appropriately secure the G-Cloud are part of this on-going design work.

Employment: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many people are employed in the manufacturing sector in  (a) Chorley and  (b) Lancashire;
	(2)  how many people are employed in the agricultural sector in  (a) Chorley and  (b) Lancashire.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated February 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many people are employed in the manufacturing sector in (a) Chorley and (b) Lancashire; and how many people are employed in the agricultural sector in (a) Chorley and (b) Lancashire. I am replying in his absence. (319340 & 319341)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Unfortunately the sample size docs not support analyses of employment by industry for the requested geographies.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Government Departments: Information Officers

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many marketing and communications staff were employed in the Civil Service in each of the last 10 years.

Tessa Jowell: This information is not collected centrally. Each Government Department, agency and NDPB is responsible for its own communications staff structures, and each Secretary of State is responsible to Parliament.

Government Departments: Telephone Services

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2010,  Official Report, column 317W, on Government departments: telephone services, if she will place in the Library a full copy of the survey data and report; and what the timetable is for the publication of the summary of results.

Angela Smith: The survey data is currently being validated by Departments and when that is completed a report will be made available. The summary of results is to be included in the next set of documents to be loaded onto the Cabinet Office website.

Lobbying: Regulation

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether her Department's review of the regulation of lobbying included an assessment of membership of the Association of Professional Political Consultants, the Public Relations Consultants Association and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Angela Smith: I refer the right hon. Member to the debate on lobbying in Westminster Hall on 7 January 2010. Membership of the relevant bodies concerned is a matter for the relevant bodies.

Opposition

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will place in the Library a copy of the guidance note on costing Opposition policies; and on what date that guidance was last updated.

Tessa Jowell: Guidance on costing the policies of Opposition parties is a long-standing convention that has been followed by successive Governments. The guidance is set out in Volume 1 of the "Directory of Civil Service Guidance". A copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Population

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the population density was of  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland in (i) 1960, (ii) 1970, (iii) 1980, (iv) 1990, (v) 2000 and (vi) 2010; and what estimate she has made of the population density in each of those areas in (A) 2020, (B) 2030 and (C) 2050.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what the population density was of (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in (i) 1960, (ii) 1970, (iii) 1980, (iv) 1990, (v) 2000 and (vi) 2010; and what estimate has been made of the population density in each of those areas in (A) 2020, (B) 2030 and (C) 2050. (319821)
	The attached table shows population density, calculated for each mid-year, as requested. Figures for 1960 to the year 2000 are derived using mid-year population estimates and the relevant land area. Figures for 2010 to 2050 are derived using 2008-based national population projections and assume land areas for the UK constituent countries remain constant into the future.
	
		
			  Population density for constituent countries of the United Kingdom for selected years 
			  Persons per sq km 
			   1960( 1)  1970( 1)  1980( 1)  1990( 1)  2000( 1)  2010( 2)  2020( 2)  2030( 2)  2050( 2) 
			 England (3)- 353 359 366 378 401 430 459 504 
			 Wales (3)- 131 136 138 140 145 153 160 168 
			 Scotland 66 67 67 65 65 67 69 71 71 
			 Northern Ireland 105 113 113 118 124 133 141 147 153 
			 (1) Population densities are derived using mid-year population estimates and the relevant land area. (2) Population densities are derived using 2008-based population projections, assuming constant land area for the UK constituent countries into the future. (3) Population estimates for 1960 are not available, separately for England and Wales.  Sources: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Self-employed: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were recorded as self-employed in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated February 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were recorded as self-employed in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997. I am replying in his absence. (319009)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local
	areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the Annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Table 1 shows the number of self-employed persons resident in Milton Keynes for the 12 month periods ending in February 1998 to 2004 from the Annual LFS and for the
	12 month periods ending in March 2005 to 2009 from the APS. The latest available estimate, for the 12 months ending June 2009 from the APS, has also been included.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS and Annual LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in table 1.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number( 1)  of self-employed persons resident in Milton Keynes 
			   Thousand 
			 February 1998 13 
			 February 1999 10 
			 February 2000 6 
			 February 2001 8 
			 February 2002 9 
			 February 2003 10 
			 February 2004 13 
			 March 2005 12 
			 March 2006 12 
			 March 2007 12 
			 March 2008 10 
			 March 2009 12 
			 June 2009 (***)11 
			 (1 )Coefficients of Variation have been calculated as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 KEY Coefficient of Variation (CV)(%) Statistical Robustness * 0 ≤ CV < 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Source: Annual Population Survey/Annual Labour Force Survey

Social Mobility

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect on individual social mobility of previous criminal convictions;
	(2)  if she will take steps to increase the level of social mobility for those with previous convictions.

Angela Smith: The Government are committed to building fairer chances for everyone to succeed in the new economy by boosting social mobility in the U.K. The Government's approach to social mobility takes a holistic view and considers the early years support, schooling, training and academic study, family life and community empowerment, all as being very important in shaping aspirations and achievements of individuals. While those who have criminal convictions have not been the specific focus of this work, the Government's approach aims to support everyone to achieve their potential.

Teenage Pregnancy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many pregnancies of girls aged between 15 and 19 years there were in England in each year since 1987.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many pregnancies of girls aged between 15 and 19 years there were in England in each year since 1987.1 am replying in his absence. (319363).
	Figures on conceptions are estimates based on the number of live births, stillbirths or legal abortions. They do not include miscarriages and illegal abortions.
	The table attached provides the number of conceptions among girls aged 15 to 19 years in England in each year from 1992 to 2008 (the most recent year for which figures are available). Comparable figures for 1987 to 1991 are not readily available.
	
		
			  Conceptions( 1 ) to women aged 15 to 19 years( 2)  in England( 3) , 1992-2008( 4) 
			  Number of conceptions 
			   Age at conception 
			   15  16  17  18  19  Total 
			 1992 4,870 11,148 17,269 23,627 28,853 85,767 
			 1993 4,786 10,322 16,371 21,948 26,255 79,682 
			 1994 5,103 10,602 15,901 21,192 25,036 77,834 
			 1995 5,435 11,553 16,334 20,973 24,715 79,010 
			 1996 5,984 13,318 19,028 22,581 25,630 86,541 
			 1997 5,508 13,118 19,638 24,048 25,410 87,722 
			 1998 5,612 12,820 20,414 26,213 27,822 92,881 
			 1999 5,281 12,477 19,362 24,888 28,311 90,319 
			 2000 5,472 12,323 18,757 24,518 28,263 89,333 
			 2001 5,241 12,232 18,759 24,169 27,488 87,889 
			 2002 5,275 12,672 19,283 24,330 27,529 89,089 
			 2003 5,466 12,485 19,510 24,983 28,071 90,515 
			 2004 5,205 12,779 19,633 25,647 29,815 93,079 
			 2005 5,435 12,531 19,800 26,287 30,110 94,163 
			 2006 5,401 12,301 19,539 26,768 30,862 94,871 
			 2007 5,571 12,795 19,853 27,181 32,351 97,751 
			 2008 5,219 12,209 19,434 26,746 31,340 94,948 
			 (1 )Figures on conceptions are estimates based on the number of live births, stillbirths or legal abortions. They do not include miscarriages and illegal abortions.  (2 )Age at estimated date of conception.  (3 )Women usually resident in England. Based on boundaries as of 2009.  (4 )Figures for 2008 are provisional.

Unemployment

James Clappison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 167-68W, on unemployment, how many economically inactive people of working age wanted employment in  (a) each of the last 10 years and  (b) each of the last eight quarters.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated February 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many economically inactive people of working age wanted employment in (a) each of the last ten years and (b) each of the last eight quarters. I am replying in his absence. (318949)
	Estimates of economic inactivity are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). In accordance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) definition, people arc classed as economically inactive if they are neither in employment nor unemployed.
	The estimates provided in the attached table are for economically inactive people of working age who wanted a job. They comprise those who have not been looking for work in the last four weeks, but who say they would like a regular paid job, plus those who have been looking for work but who were unable to start within two weeks. The estimates have been seasonally adjusted.
	These estimates are published in Table 13 of the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Indications of the sampling variability of LFS aggregate estimates are provided in the Statistical Bulletin.
	
		
			  Economically inactive people of working age( 1 ) who want a job( 2) , United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted 
			   Total (thousand) 
			  October to December quarter:  
			 2000 2,228 
			 2001 2,260 
			 2002 2,243 
			 2003 2,123 
			 2004 2,014 
			 2005 2,062 
			 2006 2,095 
			 2007 2,096 
			   
			  Latest eight quarters:  
			  2008  
			 January to March 2,144 
			 April to June 2,168 
			 July to September 2,129 
			 October to December 2,103 
			   
			  2009  
			 January to March 2,082 
			 April to June 2,144 
			 July to September 2,251 
			 October to December 2,326 
			 (1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59.  (2 )Those who had not been looking for work in the four weeks prior to interview but who said they would like a regular paid job, plus those who had been looking for work but had been unable to start within two weeks.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey.

Unemployment

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in  (a) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency and  (b) the UK were unemployed on the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated February 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in (a) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency and (b) the UK were unemployed on the latest date for which figures are available. I am replying in his absence. (319017)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey, following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, due to small sample size, no reliable estimate is available for Na h-Eileanan an Iar.
	As an alternative, the number of people aged 18 and over claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in January 2010 was (a) 605 people in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency and (b) 1.65 million in the United Kingdom (source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system).
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment and unemployment, are available from the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much her Department plans to spend on the  (a) V,  (b) Generations Together,  (c) Volunteer Management,  (d) Access to Volunteering,  (e) Youth Volunteering,  (f) Volunteer Brokerage,  (g) Capacitybuilders,  (h) Futurebuilders and  (i) other youth programmes in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office has budgeted to spend the following amounts:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2009-10  2010-11 
			  (a) v (1)38.1 (1)39 
			  (b) Generations Together 1 1.5 
			  (d) Access to Volunteering 0.65 1.35 
			  (e) Youth Volunteering-Strategic Partners 1.06 1.06 
			  (g) Capacitybuilders(2) and   (c) Volunteer Management (3)39.4 (4)32.2 
			  (h) Futurebuilders(2) 53.8 48.4 
			 (1) And up to £15 million through the v match fund, funded from a draw down on the HM Treasury Reserve.  (2) Including Modernisation Fund.  (3 )Of which £0.9 million has been allocated to the Volunteer Management programme.  (4 )Of which £2.2 million has been allocated to the Volunteer Management programme. 
		
	
	The current spending review period covers from 2008-09 to 2010-11. The Cabinet Office has therefore made no allocations to these programmes beyond March 2011.
	There are no further funded youth programmes  (i), beyond the allocations to v and the youth volunteering strategic partners.
	The Volunteer Brokerage scheme  (f) is delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much her Department plans to spend on assistance for  (a) youth and  (b) other volunteering and community service in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office has budgeted to spend the following amount on youth volunteering:
	(i) 2009-10-£39.16 million (and up to £15 million through the v Match Fund).
	(ii) 2010-11-£40.06 million (and up to £15 million through the v Match Fund).
	The Cabinet Office has budgeted to spend the following amount on other volunteering and community service:
	(i) 2009-10-£9 million.
	(ii) 2010-11-£11.6 million.
	The current spending review period covers from 2008-09 to 2010-11. The Cabinet Office has therefore made no allocations to these programmes beyond March 2011.